A Christmas Banket, Title page – Dedication
A Christmas bankette garnyshed with many pleasaunt and deynty disshes, newely prepared by Theodore Basille.
Luce. 14. ¶ Blessed is he that eatethe breade in the kyngdome of God.
¶ To the ryghte honorable Syr Thomas Neuelle Knyghte, Theodore Basille wyssheth long lyfe, cōtinual helth, and prosperous felicite. ✚
I feare vnlesse some men wyll accuse me of temerite & rasshnes, seynge ye so boldly I dare offer to youre ryghte honorable maystershyp thys lytle lucubracion & worke, which I made now of late, & entitled a Christmasse bancket, in asmuche as I hauehave ben so seldo…e in your cōpany, & hauehave not attempted nor proued at any tyme perfectly by mutuall confabulacion howe youre mynde is affected towarde me. To thys I answere, that I syttynge at your table before syx monethes past where it pleased you very benignely to talke with me, perceyued in youre maystershyp at that tyme, as at all other so great humanite, comite, gē tlenes & affabilite towarde al men, yt it hath syns that tyme greatly animated and encouraged me to excogitate & inuent somewhat yt I myght dedicate to your name, trustyng by this meanes that your beneuolence toward me should not only be encresed, but also made consumate & perfecte. Whyle I sought diligently an argumēnt fytte & worthy youre benignite, among all other it came to my remēbraūce that this tyme of ye yeare men vse customab…ye to make feastes & banckettes, and there vntounto for to cal theyr frēdes, louers & neighbours. Whan I considered this maner & custome, it dyd so much please me, seyng that mutual louelove is mayntained therby, that hereof I toke an occasion also to make a Christmasse bancket. For I thought although I were poore & not of habilite to make such a feast or bācket, as the custome requireth, yet I woulde accordyng to that kynde of rytches, which God hath indued me, prepare some bancket, & call vntounto it, not twenty or forty, but euen so many as wyll come, ye all men myght cōmende Ba…ille hauynge no house of his owne, for hys housholde kepynge & large mayntenāce of hospitalite. And for asmuch as ther shall not want vniuersal…y, which shal make feastes for the body at this tyme, I thoughte it beste, to make my bancket, a bancket for the soule, yt men hauynge theyr bodyes fedde of other, might also hauehave theyr soules fed at my hande. I hauehave therfore prepared a Bancket, not such a bancket,Ioan. vi. as the meate wherof perissheth, corruptethe, and commethe to nought, but that abideth into euerlastyng lyfe. And because it maye be a Christmasse bancket in dede, & worthy wherat Christ should be present I hauehave garnysshed it with many delicious, pleasaunt, deynte, yea & heauenly dysshes of the moost holy scriptures. So that whosoeuer eateth of this bancket, shall fynde in it muche confortable noryshmēt for his soule & be occasioned therby, I doubt not to geue God hertye thankes, whiche hath vouchedsafe of his deuyne clemency, & vnmesurable goodnes, frely to call him to his celestiall bācket. Woulde God that by this my bācket makynge, I might excyte & moue other to vse like cōmunicaciō at their table, as they shall fynd here, or at ye lees…e that they woulde enterlase in some parte of theyr repast theyr talke with suche honest & godly wordes as they shall here read, & vtterlye reiecte & cast awaye all fylthy and vncleane cōmunicacion, all iestynge & raylyng, all blaspheming & cursing. So shoulde they hauehave Christe more present wyth them at theyr feastes, than many hauehave nowe a dayes, at whose table such kynde of talke is vsed, as may iustly seme not to be worthy of God & his sōne Iesus, but of Bacchus and Uenus. These be no Christmasse banckettes, but Christlesse & dyuellysh bankettes. They be no feastes fytte for christen men, but for Gentiles & Ethuyckes. God banysshe once this great absurdite frō ye tables of thē that professe Christe. Nowe in as muche as at the begynnyng of a newe yeare the vniuersa… custome is to gyue gi…tes one to another, wherby the proteste theyr mutuall good wyll, louelove & fauour. I because I wyll not seme to be estraunged from this poynte of humanitie, do here hubly offer to your right honorable maystershyp this my Christmasse bācket for a new yeares gyft, most īstātly desyrīg you fauourably to accept it, as ye gyfte of him, which wyssheth to you from God ye father, longe lyfe, continuall …elth & prosperous felicite. Hereafter God prosperyng me in my studies, & directyng my pen in the trauaile of his word, I truste to cōpyle vntounto the glory of God, & the īmortalite of your name other workes no lesse godly & profitable to the reders. In ye meane season that god, whose blessed word you must inti…rly fauoure and followe, mought preserue in safe estate, your good maistershyp to the anaūcemēt of his glory, & the great quietnes of vsus all in this countre, by executyng on your behalfe, accordyng to your of…yce cōmitted worthelye vntounto you by th… kynges moost gracious hyghnes, suche iustyce & equitie in youre iudgementes, as shal maye turne to the vtter expulsion of all vyce, & the hygh promocion & furtheraūce of al vertu. In the trauayle wherof that LORDE mought assist you, by whom kyng sraygne, & y• makers of lawes …scerne righteous thīges, by whom also,… as Salomon sayeth: Prynces beare rule, & the heade officers gyue iudgement accordynge to iustyce.
AMEN.
The Christmasse Banckette. ¶ Philemon the maker of the Bāckette, Theophyle, Eusebius, and Christopher the gestes. PHILEMON.
I Thinke it very l…ng vntyl my n…ighbours whō I hauehave biddē to this my Christmasse Bācket do come. For I woulde be gladde, that before we fede our hungrye bodies, we should sustayne and fede also our hungry soules, wh…che do no lesse hunger for y• word of God beyng the only norysshemēt therof▪ than y• bodies do for corporal meate as Christ wytnesseth:De…t. viii Math. iiii I man, sayeth he, shall not lyue wyth bread alone, but wt eueryevery worde yt procedeth oute of the mouth of God. Therfore that it myght be a Christmasse Bancket in dede, that is to saye, suche a feast, as wherby Christ maye be glorified, & our soules no lesse refresshed thā y• bodies: I desyre very much to se my neyghbours here shortely, that fyr…t we maye taste, as it is coueniente & ryght, of the celestiall table …f Gods worde of the cōsolacion of oure soules helth, and afterward refresh our mortal bodies, with such alementes and noryshynges, as we hauehave receyued this daye of Gods great liberalite. And beholde I praye you where they come. Brothers & neyghbours welcome vntounto me.
THEO.
Brother Philemon we thanke you hertelye.
EVSE.
We are come hyther this daye to put you both to payne and cofte.
PHIL.
I pray you thynke not so, it is to me neyther payne nor cost, but rather conforte and pleasure, to se you thus frēdly cōe & visite your neighbour. And I thanke you righte hertely that ye hauehave not disdayened to come at my requeste. I beseche you, that ye wyl take the paynes to come hyther into my parlour.
CHRISTO.
I am lothe to go so sone oute of this your haull, which fedeth myne eyes with so many godly and goodly spectacles.
PHIL.
Why, is here ony thyng that you thynke worthy to be loked vponupon?
CHRI.
EueryEvery thyng is here so pleasaunt & confortable to the eye of a christen man, that he beyng in this haull maye iustly seme to be in a delectable Paradyfe, I had allmooste sayd, in a nother heauen. For here is nothyng dumme, all thynge speake.
THEO.
I pray you what is ther written vponupon your parclose dore?
PHIL:
The sayeng of Christ.Ioan. x… I am the dore By me yf ony mā entreth in, he shall be safe, and shall go in & oute, & shall fynde pasture. This is done to put me and my houshold in remēbrance, that Christ is the dore, by whome we must enter into the fauoure of God, & obtayne the glory of heaven, as he hymselfe witnesseth,Ioan, xiiii sayeng, I am y• waye, the trueth, & the lyfe. No man commeth to the father, but by me.
EVSE.
This is christenly done. What is this, that is written vpō your chiney?
PHIL.
The sayenge of the Prophet Esaye.…. ixvi. The fyre of thē shal not be quenched.
CHRI.
This is a terryble and harde sayenge.
PHIL.
I hauehave paynted this sentence in ye place, y• as the other fyxed vponupon the doremaketh me to reioyse and to putte my whole affiaunce in Christ, so this in lyke maner should abstere & feare me and myne from doynge euell, whan by lokyng on this texte we consyder with our selues ye inextinquible flames of hel fyre, & moost greuous paynes, which are ther prepared for the wicked transgressours & breakers of Gods lawe. This doth incute & bete into our hertes the feare of GOD, which expelleth synne, and is the begynnyng of wysdom.Psal. c…. Pro. … …x. …. Psa. … For he that▪ fereth God, shall do good thynges, sayeth the Scripture, & shal hauehave al his pleasures in y• LORDES cōmaūdementes.
EVSE.
What hauehave ye ther wrytten in your wyndow?
PHIL.
Christes sayeng in the Gospel of.Ioan. v…. S. I…o…. I am the lyght of the worlde. He that foloweth me, wa…keth not in darkenes, but shall hauehave the lyght of lyfe. This techeth vsus, that as by this materiall wyndowe we receyue lyghte into our house, so by Christe are our soules & sences lyghtened wyth the deuyne intellygēce and godly vnderstandyng of his blessed worde, which els shoulde contynue in darkenes & ignorancy,… in asmuch as a naturall man vnderstondeth not these thynges that pertayne to the spyryte of God.Ioan. i. For Christe is that true lyght, which doth lyghten eueryevery man that commeth into this worlde.
THEO.
Your table also, me thynke speketh.
PHIL.
Herein is growen the sayenge of Christe:Luke. xiiii. Blessed is he that eate the bread in the kyngdom of God. This is to admonyshe vsus that we shoulde not hauehave all our pleasure in eatynge drinkynge, & banckettyng after the maner of the Epicures, but rather desyre so to lyue in this worlde, that after this lyfe we maye be fedde in y• ioyefull kyngdome of God by enioyenge the moost glorious syght of the deuine maiesty.
EVSE.
What hauehave ye paynted ouer your table?
PHIL.
The sayeng of the Prophet Esaye, yea rather the cōmaundemente of God by his Prophete.…sal. …viii Breake thy breade to the hungry, & lede in the nedy & way …arynge into thy house. Whan thou shalt se a naked man, couer hym, and … …halte not despyse thy flesshe.
CHRI.
Do ye accordynge to this cōmaundement.
PHIL.
I woulde be loth brother Christo. to professe one thing by mouth, & to practyse another in my lyuing.Luke. xi… For that seruaunt that knoweth his LORDES wyl, & doth it not▪ shalbe beatē wt many strypes. But ī asmuch as we all are to much slouthful in doyng our duetye, & chesely in this one poynt, therfore I hauehave caused this text to be here painted, that it maye alwayes put me in remembraūce of doyng my office to yt poore members of Christe.Mark … well. For I tell you trueth, I thynke hym no good christen man, which receyuyng many benefites at the hand of God, & cā not vouchsaufe to imparte & gyue some of them to the indigent & nedy. You remēber,Luke. xvi. I am sure, ye story of ye rych mā in ye Gospell of Luke, whiche sared dentely eueryevery day at his table, & yet would hauehave no pitie and me…cye vponupon y• po…re Lazar whē he came to his dore, but suffred hī to dy for wāt of succoure, & therfore was he cast in to hell fyre, and there greuous…y punys…hed.
EVSE.
I remember it well.
PHIL
This one story ought to moue vsus for to hauehave cōpassion & pitie vponupon the poore people, excepte we be mynded in this world to fare wel, & after this lyfe with the rytch mā to be …ormented in hell fyre.…. xxxiiii▪ For the wyse mā sayeth: The bread of the nedy is the lyfe of the poore, he that defraudeth him of it is a māssear.
THEO.
Would …od that all men woulde remember this, thā …hould y• poore people fynd more gentlenesse at mennes ha…des, thā they do now a daies. But what hauehave ye wrytten iust by the forsayd text.…
PHIL.
The sayeng of S. Paul… to the Collos. Be ye thākefull. This sentence is placed there for to putte me in remēbrance, that I should at all tymes gyue God thankes for all thynges yt I receyue of hym, meate, drynke, cloth, health, &c. But chefely whan I hauehave dyned or supped, to be thanckeful for his boūteous gyftes wherewith he hath fed both me and my houshold.…om. l…xi…. D… … For Chrisostome sayth it is conuenient that we both when we go to the table, and com from it, geue God thankes. For he that employeth hymselfe to do this, shall neuer faul into drōkēshyp or lewdnes, he shal not be diseased with sur…etīg but hauing the expectacion of prayer put vponupon his senses in the stede of a bridle, he shal eate of al thinges set on the table with a decent mod…stye & honest temperaunce, & shall replenysshe both his soule and body with much blessyng. For that table which beginneth and endeth of prayer, shal neuer wante, but shall brynge to vsus all good thynges more plenteouslye than any fountayne. These are the wordes of Chrisostome.
CHRI.
Godly forsoth, and worthy to be followed.
EVSE.
Neyther is this cup dū & spechles.
PHIL.
Vpō this is wrytten Christes sayenge:Ioan. vii. If ony man thyrsteth, let him come to me & dryncke. This is not done to prouoke men to super fluous drynckyng, but to put thē in remēbraūce that yf they thyrst, that is to say, desyre remissiō of theyr sinnes, encrease of vertue, perfecciō of a spirituall lyfe, qu…etnes of mynde, purenes of herte,Esa. lv. Ipo. xxii. or ony other good thynge, they should haste to Christe, which giueth to him that thyrste the of the water of lyfe frely. For who so euer drynketh of the water yt Christe gyuethe hym,Ioan. iiii. he shall neuer thyrste more, but the water which is gyuen hym, shall be made in hym a well of water, spryngynge vp into euerlastynge lyfe.
THEO.
Uerye godlye forsoth…. Youre dysshes also wante not speche.
PHIL.
They reherse ye sayenge of christ in ye gos. of Iohn̄: Verely, verely I saye vntounto you,Ioan. v… ▪ excepte ye eate the fles…he of ye sonne of mā, & drinke his bloude, ye hauehave no lyfe in you. But he that eateth my flesshe & drinketh my bloud, hath eternall lyfe, & I wyll rayse hym vp at the last day. For my flesshe is very meat, and my bloud very drynke, he that eteth my flesshe, & drinketh my bloud, he dwelleth in me, and I in him. This puttethe vsus in remembraunce when we eate oure meate of the breakynge of Christes moost blessed body and the sheddīg of his moost precious bloud & by the remembraūce of it, & ye beleuyng of the same, our soules at that very present, are no l…sse fed & susteyned, than oure bodyes are wyth the meate yt is brought vntounto vsus in these dysshes.Beholde what …he rem…brāce of christes deth do…h. And this remembraunce of christes death, maketh vsus to be thākfull vntounto God the father, & to endeuour oure selues to lyue worthy his inestimable kyndnes, & in all poyntes to do oure diligence y• God maye dwel in vsus by his spiryte, & we ī him thorowe that fayth, which worketh by charite.
EVSE.
Here is eueryevery …hīge so godly & pleasant, yt it ouercōmech al prayse. But seynge yt we hauehave begun to demaund of you these questions cōcerning ye scriptures in your house, we wyll go forth so to do , t…usting y• ye would not be greued with vsus for so doynge.
PHIL.
Brother Eusebius I am not only not greued wt you, but also very gladde that these my deuices hauehave in ony poynte pleased youre mynde.
EVSE.
I praye you what is it that your chayres & stooles hauehave carued on thē.
PHIL.
A sayenge of Christe in the Reuelacion of Iohn:…po…. i…. To him that ouercōmeth wyl I graūte to syt wt me in my throne.
CHRI.
A very swete sayenge. But what meane you by this?
PHIL.
It it not …nknowen to you, I am sure, howe confortable a thyng it is for a wery body to syt & to hauehave a restyng place.
CHRI.
Trueth, what than?
PHIL.
Certes it is a thousand tymes more cōfortable to hauehave a place whe… body and soule after so many great & daungerous conflictes in this miserable worlde, maye quietly reste. Therfore hauehave I written this te…t… on my chayres & stooles, to putte me & myne in remembrance, that yf we wyl fynd rest after this life, we must seriously not dally,…. Pet. …. Ephe. v…. but fyght wt Satan our enemy. We may neuer giuegive place to the world, the dyuel, nor the flesshe, but maynly resyst thē, beyng clothed wt the armature of God and neuer leaue vntyll we hauehave gotten the victory of them all. So shall we rest in the kyngedome of God, or els not. For the Scripture sayeth: To hī yt ouercōmeth, wyl I graūt to syt wt me … my throne.
THEO.
What scripture, I praye you, hauehave ye wrytten here ouer your lauer?
PHIL.
The sayenge of Esaye: Be ye wasshed, be ye cleane,Esai. …. take awaye the euell of your thoughtes from my eies. Here so oft as we wasshe our handes, we are moued to remēber with oure selues,…he. iiii. yf ony malyce or hate be in our hertes towarde our neyghbour. If ther be ony at all, we suffer not the Sonne to fall downe vpō our anger, but accordynge to Christes precepte we go streyght and reconcyle our selues to such as with whōe we are at debate or they with vsus.Math. v. Moreouer yf there be ony other vncleanesse or notable vyce in vsus, we streight put it aware oute of our hertes by true & vnfayned repentaūce, & not only banysshe the vice from vsus, but also embrace ye vertue contrarye vntounto the vyce,Psa. xxxiii i. Pet. iii. …sa…. i. as the scripture sayeth. Declyne from euell, & do good. I gayne, cease to do eu…ll, and learne to do good. By this meanes hath synne no dominion in vsus, but vertue very muche.
EVSE.
I woulde wysshe soner to come into this house, thē into any place eyther of Emperour or kynge, I count him to dwell in a fortunate yle, yt dwelleth in a house so adourned & garnisshed with the moost odiferous, redolent, & swete smellynge floures of the holy scriptures.
THEO.
It semeth vntounto me also, that youre vyrginalles speake, although no man playeth on thē.Esa. xx…ii…, i. Lor. ii.
PHIL.
They saye thus: The eye hath not sene, nor the eare hathe not hearde, neyther hath it entred into the harte of man, that God hath prepared for thē that louelove hym: It maketh that though the sound of yt instrument which is but vayne and fedeth ye eare for a lytle whyle, semeth pleasaunte & ioyefull to the hearers for the tyme, yet is that nothyng in cōparison of the celestiall melodye & heauenly ioye, that God hath prepared for thē that louelove hym. Therefore are we here admonysshed not to delyghte in fantasticall instrumentes the pleasure wher of is more vayne, than the smoke, but in that melodye & ioye, whiche is perpetuall & neuer decayeth, & so to institute our lyfe yt we maye be partakers of that vnspekable pleasaunce & ioye.
CHRI.
The longer I behold the partes of youre house, the more I am moued to meruayle, seyng so rare spectacles ful of all vertue & godlynes. Your postes also salute your gestes, so farre as I can perceyue.
PHIL.
They expresse this sentence of S. Paule,…. Lor. iii. vi. …i, Lor, vi. the tēple of God is holy, which you are. This putteth vsus in remēbraunce in what s…euer parte of the house we go, that we should so kepe oure hertes cleane from the infeccion of mortal synne, that God in them by his holy spirite myght dwel perpetua…ly.
EVSE.
I praye you what two great tables hauehave you hangynge there openly.
PHIL.
This is the table of the. x…commaundementes, which teachethe vsus what we oughte to do, & what to erchew. The other is a table also whiche contayneth in it the offyces of al degrees and estates. It teacheth vsus whatte we owe to oure mooste noble Prince, to oure parentes, & to al superioures. In this table eueryevery man from the hyghest degre to the lowest may lerne his offyce & duety. Therfore are these two tables redde eueryevery daye openlye in my house, my wife, & chyldrē, wt al my seruauntes, beyng called therunto, & geuynge attēdāce diligently to the readyng of ye same. If any of my houshold transgresse any percel of gods law, he is brought streight waye to these tables, and by them is his faut declared vntounto h…m. So that here by he taketh an occasion to amende his lyfe, & to be ye more circumspecte & ware, that he falleth not agayne into yt synne afterward. This is ye order of my house. Other correccion thā this vse I none. Yet not wtstandyng, I thanke my LORD God, all do theyr duety so well that I cā not wysshe it to be done better.
THEO.
O mercifull God, what hauehave I herde and sene this day? so christian a house, so godlye an order neuer sawe I in my lyfe. All householders may take an example of you. Would God yt many seynge this youre acte, would in lyke maner folow it in eueryevery condicion, garnyshyng theyr houses with holy scriptures, & trayning theyr ly…es accordyng to the same. Oh what a floryshynge realme than shoulde we hauehave? Wyth howe syncer fayth shoulde we serue God. Wyth howe feruent charite should we procure ye cōmodite of our neyghboure? With howe redy myndes endued wt al hūbly submissiō shoulde we faythe fully obey our moost christen Emperoure, moost redoubted Kynge, and moost excellent ruler? With how feruent herte should we profligate and chase awaye synne: With howe vale aunte courage shoulde we amplecte & inhaunce vertue? It can not be expressed with howe many & great cō modities this moost prosperous realme shoulde florysshe to the glory of God, the a…auncement of y• kynges moost excellēt maiestie, to the great pleasure & contentacion of all youre mindes, yf this thing were brought to passe▪
PHIL.
I am here vnderunder God and my Prince a ruler ouer this my lytle housholde, & I thynke my selfe to be so muche bounde in conscience to bryng thē vp vertuously, that yf ony of them shoulde perysshe,Eze. xxxi… theyr bloud should be required of my hād at the dreadfull daye of iudgement,
CHRI.
Woulde God that all housholders, yea all Bysshoppes & Curates would waite & attent vpō theyr parysshes wyth no lesse dilygence than you do on your flock.
EVSE.
The very …ame woulde I wysshe.
THEO.
Than should christē mē knowe Christ & his lawes better thē they do nowe a dayes, and serue theyr Prince wt a more faythfull and obedient herte.
PHIL.
Well thus hauehave ye sene my symple wytte in diuisynge these aforesayde thynges for the ryght institucion of my selfe & family. And it pleseth me wel, seyng that it doth not displease you.
EVSE.
The lyght hereof hath so delyghted vsus, that nothyng heretofore hath fed our eyes with so great delectaciō & pleasure. Neyther hauehave we bē here vaine & ydle spectatours but hauehave reposed all theise thynges in oure brestes, that eueryevery one of vsus intende to gyrnysshe his house and order his familye in lyke maner, gyuynge you ryght herty thankes for the callynge of vsus hyther this daye.
…HIL.
Seyng yt ye hauehave now sene the moost prīcipal plesures of my haull, I praye you vouchesafe to take the payne for to come into my parlou….
THEO.
We followe you gladly.
PHIL.
Nowe are ye welcome hyther.
CHRI.
I praye you neyghbour Philemon, what hauehave we here to do? I am now more rauysshed then I was before. Here is eueryevery thynge so godly, pleasaunt that it semethe vntounto me to be a figure of the newe & cele…tial Ierusalem,Apoc. xx…. which is so gorgiou…ly decked & garnysshed wyth all kynde o… heauenly treasures. But I praye you, what do ye mene bi your table spred wt a fayre white & fyne cloth? Again what four bokes hauehave you layd vponupon the table, cladde & couered moost preciously with cloth of gold.
PHIL.
It is not vnknowen to you neyghbours that I dyd bydde you vntounto a Christmasse Bancket, & very frendely ye are come to me. Nowe that it myght be a Christmasse Bancket indede, I was mynded not only to prouyde meate for youre bodies, as the common fasshyon of the worlde is, but also for your soules, or els howe coulde it be a Christmasse Bancket? These …oure bokes that lye here, are thus named. The fyrst is the fiue bokes of Moses wt certayne other volumes of the olde Testamēt. The seconde is the Prophetes. The thyrd the new Testamēt. The fourth, the Doctours of the chyrche. For eueryevery one of vsus here is a boke of lyke nomber, & for eueryevery one of vsus, all. Theise are the maysters of the Christmasse Bancket. These are they which shal feaste you. Theyse are they, that hauehave in store so many godly & goodli dysshes mooste confortable for oure soules healthe. Whan we hauehave once taken our repast of these moost delycious disshes, than by Gods fauoure wyll we repare to the feast of th… body, which the cōmon forte only celebrate, neglectyng yt, which is pryncipall & moost precious.
CHRI.
We desyre very much to taste of these pleasaūt and deynty dys…hes.
THEO.
My herte reioyseth to heare these thynges.
EVSE.
Me thynke it a hundred yeare tyll we begynne our bancket.
PHIL.
Seynge yt yeare so desyrous to tast of this moost godly bancket, come of, & that it may be done amōg vsus with the more fruyte, let vsus al wt one consente knele downe & praye to God for the assistance of his spiryte.
EVSE.
Agreed.
PHIL.
If it wyll please you to gyue audience, & quietelye to heare, I wyll praye in the name of you all.
THEO.
Let it be so.
EVSE.
Yea I praye you.
CHRI.
That is best
PHIL.
Heare nowe.
¶ The prayer.
O Good God & mercyefull father the …uthor & gyuer of all wisdome,Iacob. …. whych at the intercession of thy welbeloued sonne Iesus Christe our LORDE and sauioure dyddest sende downe accordynge to thy promyse thy holye spyryte to lyghten the hertes & senses of the apostles before they could syncerly vnderstand the hygh misteries of thy deuyne wyll:Act. ii▪ We moost humbly besech the, that all cloudes of ignorancy & darkenes dispelled & put awaye, we beyng here gathered togither in thy name, may thorowe that same thy spyrite enioye the lyght of thy eternal verite, & so reuerentlye read & talke of thy most blessed word at this presēt, yt we vnderstandyng y• same beīg enflamed wt ye louelove & redīg therof, maye in all poyntes fasshyon oure lyfe accordinge vntounto thy holye worde, & seriously prouyde, that the lyght of all our actes & maners may so shyne before mē,Ma…. …. yt they seyng our good workes, maye gloryfy the oure father which arte in heauē, to whom wyth thy welbeloued sonne Iesus Christ & the holy ghost thre distincte persones in deite, and yet one verye true & perfecte God in essence, be all honour, prayse, & glory for euermore
THEO.
Amen.
EVSE.
So be it.
CHRI.
LORDE let it so come to passe.
PHIL.
Nowe let vsus fall in hande with our Christmasse bancket. I beseche God so to temper our tonge thorowe the influence of the holye Ghoste, that we speake here this daye nothynge dissonante from the ve…itie of Gods worde, but altogyther to the glorye of his moost blessed name, and the cō forte of al our soules,
THEO.
The very same thynge we also wysshe.
PHIL.
Nowe wyll I bringe forth vntounto you the bancket, & bycause I wyl not onerate & ouercharge your stomackes with to much meat at ones (although th…r ought not to be ony sufficiēcy, much lesse any nimiete in spiritual thinges, so desyrous of thē should we be) I hauehave at this pres…nt only prepared accordyng to the nū ber of vsus foure dysshes, that we tastynge of thē, yea rather eatynge, deuouryng & digesting them wt gredy stomakes, maye hauehave the more luste & desyre to retourne to thē shortlye, I praye you syt downe eueryevery mā in a chayre. Nowe wyll I serue you wt your fyrst dysshe, cōtayned in ye fyrstboke of Moses. Fayle not you therfore to whette your stomakes, & gredely to deuour whatsoeuer I bring forth vntounto you.