Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Appendix · Poem – Account 17
¶This was layed in Queene Maryes Closet vponupon her deske agaynst her commyng vntounto her prayers.
O Louesome Rose most redolent,
Of vading flowers most fresh:
In England pleasant is the sente,
For now art thou peerelesse.
This Rose which beareth such a smell,
Doth represent our Queene:
O listen that I may you tell,
Her colours fresh and greene.
The louelove of God within her hart,
Shall beutifie her grace:
The feare of God on the other part,
Shall stablish her in place.
This LoueLove and Feare her colours are,
Whereby if she be known:
She may compare both nie and farre,
Unable to be ouerthrown.
The louelove of God it will her cause,
Unfained if it bee:
To hauehave respect vntounto his lawes,
And hate idolatrie.
If that she hauehave the feare of God,
And be thereto right bent:
She will do that he her bode,
And not her owne intent.
O noble Queene take heed, take heed,
Beware of your owne intent:
Looke or you leape, then shall you speed,
Haste maketh many shent.
Remember Saule that noble king,
What shame did him befall:
Because that vntounto the Lords …idding,
He had no lust at all.
The Lord hath bid, you shall louelove him,
And other Gods defye:
Alas take heéde, do not beginne
To place Idolatry.
What greater disobedience
Agaynst God may be wrought
Then this: to moue mens conscience,
To worship thinges of nought.
What greater folly can you inuent
Then such men to obey:
How can you serue your owne intent,
Not foreseing your owne decay.
And where as first ye should mainteine,
Your Realme in perfect vnity:
To rent the peoples hartes in twayne,
Thorow false Idolatry.
Is this the way to get you fame,
Is this to get you louelove:
Is this to purchase you a name,
To fight with God aboue.
Is this your care to set vp Masse,
Your Subiectes soules to stroy:
Is this your study, no more to passe,
Gods people to anoy.
Is this to reigne, to serue your will,
Good men in bondes to keépe:
And to exalt, such as be euill,
And for your grace vnmeét.
Such as made that fond diuorce,
Your mother to deface:
Are nighest you in power and force.
And most bounden vntounto your Grace.
Well, yet take heéd, of had I wist,
Let Gods word beare the bell:
If you will reigne, learne to know Christ,
As Dauid doth you tell.
What great presumption doth appeare,
Thus in a weéke or twayne:
To worke more shame then in vij. yeare.
Can be redrest agayne.
All is done without a law,
For will doth worke in place:
And this all men may seé and know,
The weakenes of your case.
That miserable masking Masse,
Which all good men doth hate:
Is now by you brought vp agayne,
The roote of all debate.
Your Ministers that louelove Gods worde,
They feéle this bitter rodde:
Who are robbed from house and goodes,
As though there were no God.
And yet you would seeme mercifull.
In the midds of Tyranny
And holy, whereas you mayntayne
Most vile Idolatry.
For feare that you should heare the truthe,
True preachers may not speake:
But on good Prophetes you make ruthe,
And vnkindely them intreate.
Him hauehave you made Lord Chauncellor,
Who did your bloud most stayne:
That he may sucke the righteous bloud,
As he was wont agayne.
Those whome our late king did louelove,
You doe them most disdayne?
These thinges doth manifestly proue,
Your colours to be but vayne.
Gods word you cannot abide,
But as your Prophetes tell:
In this you may be well compared,
To wicked Iesabell.
Who had 400. Prophettes false,
And fiftie on a rought:
Through whose false preaching,
Poore Ely was chased in and out.
Gods Prophetes you do euill entreate,
Balles Priestes defend your grace:
Thus did the Iewes put Christ to death,
And let go Barrabas.
Hath God thus high exalted you,
And set you on a trone:
That you should prison and deface,
His flocke that maketh mone.
The Lord which doth his flock defend,
As the Aple of an eye:
Of this full quickly, will make an end,
And banish crueltie.
Therfore my Counsell I you take,
And thinke thereof no scorne:
You shall finde it the best counsell,
Ye had since you were borne.
Put away blinde affection,
Let Gods word be vnpere,
To try out true religion,
From this euill fauoured geere.
Finis
ꝙ. W.M. as it is supposed.
*The instruction of king Edward the sixt, geuen to Sir Anthony Seyntleger Knight of his priuie chamber being of a corrupt iudgement of the Eucharist. VponUpon this saying of an ancient D. of the Catholicke Church.
Dicimus Eucharistiam Panem vocari in scripturis, Panis in quo gratiae actae sunt &c.
IN Euchariste then there is bread,
Wherto I do consent:
Then with bread is our bodyes fed,
But farther what is ment.
I say that Christ in flesh and bloud,
Is there continually:
Unto our soule a speciall food,
Taking it spiritually.
And this transubstantiation, I,
Beleue as I hauehave read:
That Christ sacramentally,
Is there in forme of bread.
S. Austen sayth the word doth come,
Unto the element:
And there is made he sayth in somme,
A perfect sacrament.
The Element then doth remayne,
Or els must needes ensue:
S. Austens wordes be nothing playne,
Nor cannot be found t…ue.
For if the words as he doth say,
Come to the element:
Then is not the element away,
But bides there verament.
Yet who so eateth that liuely foode,
And hath a perfect fayth:
Receiueth Christes flesh and bloud,
For Christ himselfe so sayth.
Not with our teeth hys flesh to teare,
Nor take bloud for our drinke:
To great an absurditie it were,
So grossely for to thinke.
For we must eate hym spiritually,
If we be spirituall:
And who so eates hym carnally,
Thereby shall hauehave a fall.
For he is now a spirituall meate,
And spiritually we must:
That spirituall meate, spiritually eate,
And leaue our carnall lust.
Thus by the spirite, I spiritually
Beleeue, say what men list:
None other Transubstantiation, I
Beleeue of the Eucharist.
But that there is both bread and wyne,
Which we see with our eye:
Yet Christ is there by power diuine,
To those that spiritually.
Do eate that bread, and drinke that cup,
Esteemyng it but lyght:
As Iudas did, which eate that soppe,
Not iudgyng it aryght.
For I was taught not long agone,
I should leane to the sprite:
And let the carnall flesh alone,
For dyd it not profite.
God saue hym that teachyng me, taught,
For I thereby did winne:
To put me from that carnall thought,
That I before was in.
For I beleeue Christ corporally,
In heauen doth keepe his place:
And yet Christ sacramentally,
Is here with vsus by grace.
So that in this high mysterie,
We must eate spirituall meate,
To keepe hys death in memory,
Least we should it forget.
This do I say, this hauehave I sayd,
This saying, say wyll I:
This saying though I once denaid,
I will no more to dye.
FINIS.
¶This yong Prince became a perfect schoolemaister vntounto old erroneous men, so as no Diuine could amende hym, and therfore this piece is worthy of perpetuall memory to his immortall fame and glory.
¶When Queene Mary came to her raigne, a friend of maister Sentlegers charged him with this his Pamphlet. Well, ꝙ he, content your selfe, I perceiue that a man may hauehave too much of Gods blessing. And euen here Peter began to deny Christ, such is mens frailtie.