The Confutation of the Misshapen Answer to a Wicked Ballad, Part 59 – Part 65
☞The confutacion
☞ The authoure wysheth none other thinge vntounto you (frend Hogharde) then that whyche Paul himself exhorteth al men to do, that is to be his foloers as he was the folower of Christ But this part of Paul which he wisheth them to play, in folowyng of hym, is to conuerte (as he hymself sayth) from the Romysh way euen as Paul conuerted from the persecuting of the christian faith, & with a meke hert to obey▪ gods truth. But as for one, nothyng con…ented with the thyng that he wisheth for you: you stomake the matter, and deny that you receiu…d it of the popysh see. But yet you shew not whence you receiued it, Neither do you bring anye proues (other then your bare assersion) that you receiued it not of the popysh see. I thinke you to be one of them, that vse to affirme thynges, without any argument or reason for the probation thereof. I wyll therfore minister you occasion in seeke vp youre argumentes and reasones against you make answer to this confutation And by your leaue, I will proue that you had it frome the Romyshe see. I woulde hauehave you therfor, first to consider, what thinge it is that we talke of.
It is not the Lordes supper: but that toye of yours which you cal the blessed Sacrament of the aulter. Whence that came is euident to thē that lust to se: for throughout the whole Bible ther is not so much as one word of that popish inuentiō. The supper of the Lord, we hauehave ther mencioned, & so declared, that comparyng thys toye of yours therunto: we mai easely perceiue y• they be cleane contrary. The Lord at hys last supper, toke bread, gaue thākes & brake it Your Apes take bread & blowe vpō it breathinge out certaine wordes in the maner of enchaunters & sorcerers, to turne the substaunce therof, & they offer it vp for a sacrifice. Christ distributed the bread among his disciples, and eate none hymselfe, but your Apes deuour all thē selues, and geue the people none. Christ celebrated his supper at the table with his disciples, euen in hys common apparel: But youre Apes muste hauehave goodly garmentes made for the nonse, of al the colours, of the rayn… Bowe and at sondry rymes sundry coloures. Christe made no fond iestures: But your Mōkers must hauehave crossyng kissynge, beckynge, douckynge, turnynge, trippynge, with manye pretye trickes, and at the last …osse vp all slouenlye, and blesse the people with the emptie cuppe. Se you not howe these two agre?
Now let vsus se whense al this grare of yours cometh. Selestinus the pope ordeined the praie… y• the priestes (your Godmakers) say when they rauysh thē selues to masse. Pope Damasus ordeined Confiteor. Pope Gregory cau…ed Kyri…eleson to be sayd .ix. tymes together, Gregory and Gelasius gathered the Col…ctes, good gere I warrant you, if they be well weyghed. The Grayle was of the same mens doynge I trowe. Telesphorus, inuented the Tract, Notherus the Sequences, Anastasius, the stāding vp at the Gospel, Eutichianus the Offertory, Gelacius the Preface, Sextus the Sanctus, Pope Leo the .iii. ordayned the Incense. Also y• Secretes of the masse, are they not popes parches clouted together to make the matter more salable. Gelasius made Te igitur, Siritius, added Communicantes, Pope Alexander made Qui pridie. Pope Leo, Hanc igitur. Gregorye made the peticions, Dies que nostros. The fyrst Innocen…ius ordayned the Pax▪ Sargius, the Agnus dei The first Alexander ordayned that the bread should be vnleuened. And thē as you thynk, whence hauehave we this your bable, so tossed and tombled from this syde to that, hoysed vp and layed downe agayn. You must pardon me though I speake playne: for I take al such thinges as foles delight to play wythal: for no better then bables. …ut …o put the weake brothers out of doubt y• I cōtemne not the Lordes supper: I ꝓtest, y• among the thinges & ordinā ces y• our sauiour christ hath left wt vsus. y• liuely word of God onelyonly excepted, ther is none more profitable, & for our soules comforte, then it is. And that therfore we oughte to frequent & vse it wt al faithfulnes, tre…blyng & feare of y• lord knowynge y• if we beynge the membres of the d…ust, shuld enterprise to com to the Lords table as partakers wt him: we shal hauehave our reward with the hypocrites, euen in the vtter darknes
I exhort you al therfore (that glory to be the membres of Christ and called Christians) that in no case ye presume to receiue this holye communion: vnles you be inwardly the same thing that this holy misteri declareth them to be, that vse it worthely.
☞ Say not therfore (frend Hoghard) that I rayle vponupon the blessed Sacramentes of Christes body and bloud (for I take God to witnes and myne owne con…ience, I reuerence them as much as Gods word wylleth them to be reuerenced) but that which I hauehave writtē is against that abuse whych the Romysh Ruffians hauehave set vp and would mayntayn in the sted therof.
The ballad
Lord graūt that our head, king Edward y• sixt
May bury that dead God which is pi…te
And get in his stead, thy supper not mixte
Wi…h abuse popishe.
The answere
Lord graūt that king Edward which ouer vsus hath
The chief primacie vnderunder christe Iesu
Truely to defend the catholike fayth
Which from the apostles dyd hole ensew
And all heresy and popishnesse to subdwe
That we may liue vnderunder his highnes so
In the catholyke fayth which is most true
that to y• honour of god al thinges may grow
I wonder much how ye durst be so bolde
As to pray so for the kinges maiestie
That his highnes shoulde do as ye hauehave tolde
A deed before god of grate iniquitie
Which is that the dead god pixte he may bury
Ye show your selfe a true subicte in this
Which doth point your king to such an office.
☞The confutacion
☞ Here you wolde seme to make a praier for the kynge, contrarie to that which the authour …aketh, and yet agaynst your wyll (I thynke) it is the same, as it is easie to be sene to al them that cā iudge vpō writtinges. But afterwarde you put men out of doubte of your meaninge, and saye that you meruaile the autour durst be so bolde as to appoynte his prince to suche an office, as to burie the deade God that is pixte. And by the same your admiracion, you declare your selfe to be altogether fleshely. For what spiritual mynde coulde thynke it a thinge vnworthye a christian prince to burie, that is to extinguish… and put vtterly out of memorie, that moste detestable Idole, whiche beynge a thinge deade and without any lyuely significacion: is named and taken as God? But no meruaile though you be so fleshely in this matter, for the chiefe of your counsayle, are not ashamed openly to affirme that the godhead is a corporal substaunce, because the… fynde in Genesis that man was made to the similitude and Image of God.
¶The ballad
That we may espie In that signe and token
Wyth spirituall eie, Thy body broken
And thy bloud plentious…y Shed as is spoken
To bringe vsus to blesse.
The answere
Who wold thinke, lo but that thys man ment well
Seing that he wyshith that we may al
Se christes death ther, for so sayeth the gospel
But yet marke hym wel and perceiue ye shall
That vnderunder the name of this worde spiritual
As his Ballad before doth playne expresse
And here a signe and token he doth it cal
Tak… … it for nomore hymselfe doth wytnes
But the catholyke fayth perfect and true.
Is, we must beleue that in the sacrament
Is not onelyonly a sygne wher in we must vewe
The death of christe with a godly intent
But also that christe him selfe is present
Fleshe and bloud, but how that he shuld be
Reason cannot teach, therfore he must consent
Unto fayth, and then he shal it truely…se
Nowe thus of this answere I make an ende
Prayenge god his grea…e …o vsus both to sende.
FINIS. Quod myles Hogherde.
¶The confutacion
You hauehave no more to saye here, but that the authoure maketh this sacrament no more but a signe, wher as the catholyke fayeth (you say) leadeth vsus to beleue that Christ is ther present, flesh & bloude. Which thinge is verie true but not as you takeit (For your words de…lare▪ your meaneinge to be that Christes steshe and bloude shoulde be ther after suche sorte that it might be eaten & sualowed in to oure bodies by the orgains of the same, poynted for y• office of eateing. But our beliefe is, and that according to the catho like fayth of the apostles & fathers of the primatiue churche that the substaunce of the breade wherein those accidentes whiche we se do remayne: is no mor but a sygne (as Paul teacheth) of the wonder full couplynge togither of al the membres of Christ in one mistical bodie, as the breade beinge made of many graynes is but one bodie, and in like maner the wyne. But the spiritual presēt of Christes bodie in these sacramentes, we neuer denied, kno…nge that as manie as (beinge the vnfayned membres of Christe) do wyth sure fayth in the promyses of Christ vse these sacramētes bread and wyne accordeinge to Christes institucion and firste ordinaunce are at the same supper of the Lorde as certaynely made partakers of Christes bodie and bloud and al y• euer he did or deserued for vsus in the flesh: as theye are partakers of that sacramenttal bread and wine To thys fayth do we consent wishing y• it woulde please the Lorde to open the eie of you and your councollour that you may se and consente to the same
Finis
Imprînted at London by Ihon Day and William Seres, dwellyng in Sepulchres Parish at the signe of the Resurrectiō a litle aboue Holbourne Conduite.
☞Cum gratia & priuilegio adimprimendum sol…n.
End of the text · Robert Crowley, The Confutation of the Misshapen Answer to a Wicked Ballad (1548)