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The assault of the sacrament of the Altar containyng as well sixe seuerall assaultes made from tyme to tyme against the sayd blessed sacrament: as also the names and opinions of all the heretical captaines of the same assaultes: Written in the yere or oure Lorde 1549. by Myles_Huggarde, and dedicated to the Quenes moste excellent maiestie, beyng then ladie Marie: in whiche tyme (heresie then raigning) it could take no place. |
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Now newly imprynted this present yere. 1554. | ||
¶ Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum. | ||
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¶To the reader. |
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SEldome is seene matters of weyght | ||
Rudelye in ryme to be set out, | ||
Yet make I not this thing so sleyght, | ||
Although in ryme I go about, | ||
5 | To make this worke, the whiche no doubt, | |
Muche hygher matter doth containe, | ||
Then ought in ryme to be made plaine. | ||
But Yet because saint Paule doth say, | ||
That God his gyftes geueth diuersly, | ||
10 | The whiche eche man ought here alway, | |
After his gyfte him to apply, | ||
Thereby other to edifie, | ||
For eche man shall when it is spent, | ||
Render accompte of his talent. | ||
15 | Whiche thinge when I consider well, | |
Seing of men many a score, | ||
Whiche in Gods giftes do farre excell | ||
Many other whiche were before | ||
Their dayes, and yet neuer the more | ||
20 | I se set furth, for the whiche I | |
Do my slacknes muche lesse set by. | ||
For none is there that aught can do, | ||
That in suche thinges can lesse then I. | ||
Therfore my coumpte lesse shall come to, 'coumpte': see OED count n1 | ||
25 | Then those that hath Gods gyftes more hye, | |
But yet the least I feare truelye, | ||
Shall be more then they well may bere, | ||
Whiche dothe make me my coumpte to feere. | ||
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The cause wherfore that I do make, | ||
30 | This treatise small, only is this, | |
Because men may example take, | ||
Of those whiche did stray farre amisse, | ||
Assaulting faith, that moost true is: | ||
The cheife of whom as they shall se, | ||
35 | Did not amonge them-selues agree. | |
Of whiche my simple enterprise, | ||
Pardon of all men I do craue, | ||
For my rude style my wit here tryse, | ||
Suche wit suche termes alwaye wyll haue, | ||
40 | Therfore if fautes, ye do persceiue, | |
Do them correcte as ye cause see, | ||
Iust cause can no-thing displease me. | ||
Finis. |
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WHen Sagittary had dominion, | ||
The nightes then being very long and cold | ||
I mused on the straunge opinion, | ||
The which diuers men did diuersly hold | ||
5 | Against our sauiours own wordes plainly tolde | |
Which troubled me so, that as it did chaunce, | ||
With the same study, I fell in a traunce, | ||
Then with that I had a wonderfull dreame, | ||
In the which me-thought Morpheus drue neere | ||
10 | And toke me by the hande and with strength extreme | |
He drue me furth, and bade me nothing feare, | ||
But go with him, and as we going were, | ||
Let not my comming quod he the displease, | ||
For thou shalt finde, it shall be for thine ease. | ||
15 | I know that thou dost sore trouble thi minde | |
With the fondnes of men which thou doest see, | ||
Against Christes wordes cauillation to finde, | ||
The which in the scripture so plaine written be, | ||
And how one with an-other do not agree: | ||
20 | Is not this thy trouble, I pray the tell trewe, | |
It is trueth quod I, euen as thou dost shewe, | ||
Well quod he, I shall shew the more anone, | ||
Then came we in-to an hall long and wide, | ||
The like before I neuer loked vpon, | ||
25 | Most gorgiously hounge it was on eche side, | |
With noble storyes which I wyll not hide, | ||
Wrought in fine arrase, with pure silke and golde, | ||
It rauishte my witte this hall to beholde. | ||
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Then did I loke vpon the lefte hande, | ||
30 | There sawe I the Arke of God purely wrought [E]xod. xxv and [x]xvii. [De]vte. ix. [Ex]od. xvi. | |
Of fine golde as it orderly doth stande | ||
In the byble, whiche seing I me be_thought, | ||
Of the stories ther, which to my minde brought, [T]he first fi[g]ure of the [Ar]ke. | ||
What the Arke, and all the reste did signifye, | ||
35 | Whiche on the lifte side of this hall did lye. | |
First there I sawe Melchizedech the king [G]ene. xliii. [T]he s[e]cond fi[gu]re of Mel[chi]zedech.(second] socond 1554) | ||
Meting Abraham the great Patriarche | ||
From slaughter of the .iiii. kinges, for which thing | ||
He offred to God in a mystery darke, | ||
40 | Breade and wine, the which thing as I did marke, | |
A hande in the cloudes wrote this him before: | ||
Thou arte a priest it saied for euer more. | ||
Then stode ther king Dauid redy with his penne, [P]sal. cx. | ||
And wrote it in the spirite of prophecy, | ||
45 | Pointing to that priest which shuld saue al men, | |
Saying thou arte a priest eternally, | ||
After Melchizedeches order truely: | ||
The which when I sawe, I burnt in desire, | ||
To se all the rest my hart was on fyre. | ||
50 | There I sawe howe that the Iewes also [E]xod. xii. [T]he thirde fi[g]ure of the pas[c]hal lambe. | |
Did eate the paschall lambe as God commaunded, | ||
When he did saue them from wicked Pharao, | ||
Whiche with all his army was there confounded | ||
In the rede_Sea, where he deliuered, | ||
55 | His people drye-foote, to shewe his powre great, | |
In remembrance wherof, the lambe they did eate. | ||
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Nexte to this story I sawe rychely wrought, | ||
Howe that Manna from aboue did discende, Exod. xvi. The fourth figure of Manna. | ||
To fede those whom god out of thral had brought | ||
60 | Thus God his goodnes to them did extende: | |
Kyng Dauid stoode by and this truely pende, | ||
Prophesieng therby a mystery great, | ||
Saying, man the bread of Angels hath eate, | ||
A goodly table then sawe I there spreade, Leui. xxiiii. The fifthe figure of the shewe-breade. | ||
65 | By the which the high priestes stode honorably, | |
And did set theron the holy shewe-breade, | ||
Of the whiche none might eate but they only, | ||
Then in that place also I did espye, | ||
Where king Dauid did writ this sentence cleare: | ||
70 | God geueth meat to those that him truely feare. Psal. cxi. | |
Then as I stode musing these thinges to scanne | ||
I could not with all my wyttes them define, | ||
Then came there to me an auncient man, | ||
Whiche semed to be some noble deuine, | ||
75 | He bad me mine eares to him incline, | |
And he would open to me by and by, | ||
What all these thinges did truely signifie. | ||
Of that I was glad, and gaue attendaunce, | ||
To here how he would these figures discusse, | ||
80 | Whiche he did truely with noble vtteraunce, | |
And first of the Arke his saying was thus. | ||
The Arke quod he whiche is so glorious, | ||
Doth signifye Christ his churche be thou sure, | ||
Which hath in it the swete Manna most pure. | ||
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85 | This Manna is the holy sacrament, | |
Of the blessed body and bloud of our Lord, | ||
Whiche he lefte here to be permanent, | ||
As a pledge most sure of our soules comford: | ||
Aarons rodde also doth signifie his worde, | ||
90 | By the whiche his churche is gouerned here, | |
But by Manna is figurde his body most nere. | ||
Secondly where Melchizedech the king, | ||
Brought furth breade and wine before Abraham , | ||
That did signifie Christes holy offryng, | ||
95 | Whiche he offred when he to his maundy came, | |
Christes order of priesthod consisteth in the same, | ||
Sith Melchizedeches order in his sacrafice, | ||
Was none other but that, scripture plaine trise, | ||
And where he saieth. thou art a priest for euer, | ||
100 | Did not only signifie Christes eternitee, | |
But also his order whiche ende shall neuer, | ||
Whiche he ordained, here at his maundie, | ||
Fulfylling Melchizedeches order truely, | ||
Yet is he the priest which doth worke this thinge | ||
105 | In his ministers, dayly ministring. | |
Stay there sir quod I, by your pacience, | ||
Did Melchizedeches order only consyst, | ||
In these two thinges, me-thinke of congruence, | ||
It doth extende farther or els I haue mist, | ||
110 | Ye for-soth quod he who wyll that resyst, | |
For when Christ offered him-selfe by his passion | ||
He became for-euer our propiciation. Christ is not offred now too merit a_new, as he did by his passion, for that was suffici[e]ntlye done ones for all, but we do desire that this sacrifice offered in remembra[u]nce [...]of his death may be a mea[n] to applye the merite of tha[t] his death vn[to] vs.sufficientlye] sufficiontlye 1554 [...]of his death may be a mea[n] to applye the merite of tha[t] his death vn[to] vs.sufficientlye] sufficiontlye 1554sufficientlye] sufficiontlye 1554 | ||
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In consideration wherof we do here, | ||
Offer to the father this swete sacrifice, | ||
115 | Of his blessed sonne, to him moost dere, | |
Whose death for mercy for vs dayly cryes, | ||
For workes haue we none, that before his eyes, | ||
Are worthy of mercy, therfore we do all, | ||
In that same death for mercy dayly cal. | ||
120 | The next figure quod he to this agreeth wel, Exod. xii. | |
Where-as the Iewes the paschal lambe did eate | ||
In the remembraunce as scripture doth tell, | ||
Of their deliueraunce by myracle great, | ||
Out of Egypte, of whiche figure to entreate, Exod. xiiii. | ||
125 | It wyll require a longe circumstaunce, | |
But lette not the tyme to the be greuaunce, | ||
Egypte the darknes of synne doth signifie, | ||
In the whiche man was after his fall, | ||
And by Pharao is figured the deuill truely, | ||
130 | Under whom man was both subiecte and thral, | |
And Moyses in figure Christ I may call, | ||
Which Moyses ledde the children of Israel, | ||
Through the redde_sea from Pharao cruell. | ||
Euen so our Moyses Christ our sauiour, | ||
135 | Deliuered his people through his redde bloud, | |
From Pharao the deuill and all his hole power, | ||
Under whom man then in great daunger stood: | ||
Now when God by Moyses, was to man thus good | ||
He wilde man yerely for a memoriall, | ||
140 | To eate a lambe which they named the paschall. | |
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Then for-as-muche as our lord did fore_se, | ||
How the nature of man was corrupted | ||
With forgetfulnes, for the whiche he, | ||
For mens commoditee this ordeined, | ||
145 | That they shoulde eate a male lambe vnspotted, | |
In a remembraunce how they deliuered were | ||
From wicked Pharao as ye before did here. | ||
In like maner our sauiour Christ_Iesu, | ||
Ordeined for a perpetuall memorye | ||
150 | A lambe to be eaten our mindes to renewe | |
In dayly remembraunce of his mercy, | ||
Whiche he procured by his death truely, | ||
The lambe that he lefte was himselfe in-dede, | ||
As in the Euangelistes plaine we do reade. | ||
155 | That christ is the lambe it doth plaine appeare. | |
Beholde the lambe of God, saint Iohn doth say, | ||
That taketh awai the sinnes the world cleare Ioan. i. | ||
Which he did truely by his death that day, | ||
That his fleshe was broken, none can this denay. | ||
160 | Now then to Christes maundy let vs resorte, | |
And se there what weight his wordes doth importe. | ||
Christ at his last supper toke bread in his hand: Math. xxvi. | ||
He blest it, and brake it, and those wordes saied, | ||
This is my body, thus doth his wordes stande, | ||
165 | The whiche for you, saith he, shalbe betrayed. | |
These were his wordes it can not be denaied. | ||
But he spake thus, quod I, only in figure, | ||
That doth not, quod he, agree with scripture. | ||
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Tho[u] must nedes graunt, quod he, that christ came here | ||
170 | The figures of the olde lawe to fulfyll, | |
Cheifely all suche as of his comming were, | ||
And that not with figures, to thinke so were yl, | ||
Whoso affirmeth that, can litle skyll | ||
In the scripture, for thus writteth saint Paule, i. Cor. xi. | ||
175 | That the lawe to the Iewes was in figures al. | |
And yet this same sacrament is a figure, | ||
But not only of Christes body naturall, | ||
For that it containeth, but this we read in scripture, | ||
That the fourme of bred, which we se material, | ||
180 | Is a figure of Christes body mysticall, | |
As to the Corynthes we do plainely reade, | ||
To recite the wordes I thinke shall not nede. | ||
But now to note christes words how thei were spoken | ||
This is my body, that geuen for you shalbe, | ||
185 | Whiche the next day on the crosse was broken | |
For the sinnes of all men, this by faith we se. | ||
Now that christ is trueth, needes we must agre, | ||
Wel then, of the bread, truth these words did say. | ||
Which truely was true, if he died the next day. | ||
190 | Thus is Christ the lambe that continuallye | |
Is eaten of vs in his memoriall, | ||
Because we should not forget his mercy, | ||
Whiche by his death he purchast for vs all. | ||
This to his comming truely continue shall. | ||
195 | The Iewes then eate the lambe in figure onlye, | |
But we eat the true lambe, the scripture doth try. | ||
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The Manna also which came from aboue, | ||
To feede Gods people in the wildernes, Exo. xvi. | ||
Doth signifie this great token of loue, | ||
200 | With whiche Christ doth fede his people doubtlesse, | |
As the Prophetes saying, here plain doth expresse | ||
The breade of Angels, man hath eate, saith he, | ||
And christ this same breade, nameth himself to be. | ||
I am the breade of lyfe saieth our sauiour, Ioan. vi. | ||
205 | Whiche from heauen aboue did truely descende, | |
To geue lyfe to man doth passe mannes power, | ||
I am the true breade, which doth to that extende: | ||
Manna from hounger, did man only defende, | ||
But who that eateth of this bread, sure of life shalbe | ||
210 | And the breade that I wyll geue, is my fleshe saieth he. | |
Came his flesh from heauen quod I, that wold I here | ||
For I beleue of trueth, he toke it of Marye, | ||
And yet by your wordes, me-thinke it doth appere | ||
That that bread was his flesh which came from a hie | ||
215 | I thinke this saying true ye can not trye, | |
For if ye can so, my faith I wyll forsake, | ||
For I do beleue his fleshe he did here take. | ||
Loo, here thy ignouraunce thou dost shew to me, | ||
Did not christ like case, say these wordes plainly: | ||
220 | No man ascendeth to heauen but only he, Ioan. iii. | |
Which came downe from heauen, the sonne of man truly, | ||
Which is in heauen, marke what these wordes doth try | ||
The son of man which is in heauen, and yet he, | ||
Was in his manhode here, as all men might se. | ||
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225 | To discusse that quod I doth farre passe my wit, | |
Why wilt thou then quod he, in thy faith dispute, | ||
Thou wouldest dig a pitte, and thi-selfe fall into it, | ||
As many other doth, them-selues to confute, | ||
But do not thou like case from thi faith transmute, | ||
230 | And now to shew the I wyll take in hand, | |
How these two places true together stand. | ||
But first one text I wyll note to the more: | ||
What wyll ye say saieth Christ, when ye shal see, Ioan. vi. | ||
The sonne of man ascende where he was before, | ||
235 | Doth not this text now expresse vnto thee, | |
His manhode in heauen before that to be, | ||
May not I say than, his fleshe is that bread, | ||
Which came from heauen, wherwith our soules be fed. | ||
Then toke he no fleshe here that I perceiue wel, | ||
240 | Yes forsoth quod he this dothe not that disproue, | |
For why, s. Iohn doth writ in his gospel | ||
That the word was made flesh, euen Gods sonne aboue | ||
By eternal generacion, none can that remoue, Ioan. i. | ||
So God and man was knyt, alwayes to remaine, | ||
245 | But one in personage, though in natures twaine: | |
Nowe syth our nature vnto God is knyt, | ||
Beyng one in person as I before did say, | ||
To know how this should be, doth passe al mens wyt | ||
Yet that this is true, no man can denay, | ||
250 | But that man is God, and God is man alway: | |
Now then Christes holy fleshe by this vnitie, | ||
May truely be said alwaye in heauen to be. | ||
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Now this heuenly bred vnder which christ is here | ||
The breade of Angels the prophet well may cal, | ||
255 | For the foode of Angels is the glorie clere | |
Of the blessed godhead most celestiall, | ||
With the whiche godhead Christ was euer equal | ||
So then where christ is, the godhead is alway, | ||
Then the bread of Angels we eate, we may say. | ||
260 | Then, quod he, here the shew-breade is set out Leui xxiiii. | |
Whereof none but the priestes alone might eate, | ||
The which doth signifie, no christen man wil dout | ||
This most blessed bred, which is of vertu great, | ||
The shew-bread was vsed as an heauenly meat: | ||
265 | For none but the priestes God did therto admit, | |
And all the people did reuereuce to it. | ||
This most heauenly meat of christes fleshe and bloud, | ||
Being, as I saied, the perfitte veritie, | ||
Figured by this shew-bread, by which the priestes stood, | ||
270 | Only of priestes also eaten here must be: | |
Of priestes made by order, nay so take not me, | ||
But both priestes and kings, as Peter doth vs cal, i. Pet. ii. | ||
Which offreth to god the sacrifice spirituall. | ||
Now we are kinges, and priestes thou must vnderstand: | ||
275 | We are not all priestes in ministracion, | |
No more then we are kinges gouerning a lande: | ||
Yet kinges we are by Peters nominacion, | ||
And so are we priestes by Paules probacion: | ||
Make your bodies, saieth he, a liuely sacrifice. Roma. ii. | ||
280 | By this mean and such other al men priests he tries. | |
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He may be called a king, learned men doth say, | ||
Which doth his carnall affections subdue, | ||
But if he do not that as muche as he may, | ||
He is in this case, neither king nor prieste true: | ||
285 | But if he be a king thus then will insue, | |
He is a worthy priest so spiritually, | ||
Whose godly workes then God doth accept hye. | ||
Now this kingly priesthod whoso doth attaine, | ||
Without the feare of God it can neuer be, | ||
290 | Then the prophetes promisse, here doth folow plain: | |
God geueth meat to those, that feare him saith he: | ||
Geueth he meat to none els? yis forsoth, we se | ||
By his gifte infidelles haue their sustenaunce, | ||
Then doth he mean meat, of an hygher substaunce. | ||
295 | And what that meat is, christ doth plain declare: | |
My fleshe, saieth he is very meate in-dede, | ||
And my bloud is drinke, this is no figure bare, | ||
These wordes are plain, the gospel thou maist rede: | ||
Now thou seist to what end this figure doth lede | ||
300 | To the faithful christ his fleshe and blod doth geue: | |
Then they eate it not, quod I, that beastly do liue. | ||
Nay I say not so, thou dost me mistake, | ||
For euen the wicked receiueth Christes body, | ||
Or els our receite should it his body make, | ||
305 | And if I so ment, I should meane wickedlye, | |
For Paule saith, who that eateth it vnworthily, | ||
Eateth his own iudgement, because no difference | ||
He maketh of christes body, this is plain euidence. | ||
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The say quod I that S. Austen doth say, | ||
310 | That wicked men eat[e] not Christes flesh and bloud, eate] eath 1554 | |
Tho they eate the sacrament euery day, | ||
Upon which thei conclude that none but the good | ||
Only eateth christes fleshe, this with stout mood | ||
They do defende and say, this doth trye, | ||
315 | That it is not Christ, but to the good only. | |
Thou must vnderstand, quod he , that this worde Iesus | ||
Is as much to say as a sauiour true, | ||
And to all men Christes wyll is to be thus, | ||
Yet is he not so, the scripture do shewe, | ||
320 | But why, because they folowe not vertue, | |
By whiche they loose the benefite of that name, | ||
Yet Iesus is a sauiour thou wilt grant the same. | ||
Blessed are those saith christ whiche are not hurt by me | ||
Who can be hurt by Christ, who is all goodnes, | ||
325 | Truely suche as wicked and vnfaithfull be, | |
Whiche receiueth him not after his worthines, | ||
Whose iugement, as I sayd, s. Paule doth expresse | ||
Now like as Christ was with the Iewes present | ||
So is he with vs in the sacrament. | ||
330 | Christ is not quod I, with vs now present, | |
As he was with the Iewes, I mean not so quod he | ||
That he so should be, is not conueniente, | ||
For with them he walked in his humanitee, | ||
Fulfylling all thinges that fulfyld should be, | ||
335 | Which done vp to heauen he did ascende, | |
And from thence shall come againe at the last end. | ||
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Than can he not be here, quod I, by your owne tale. | ||
That canning, quod he, will not be let by me: | ||
For if I said, as thou saist, we should both faile, | ||
340 | But the tale that I tell, if it mine should be, | |
My canning could neuer proue vnto the, | ||
How his body could be both here and aboue, | ||
But loking who spake it, faith wil how remoue. | ||
Now wher saint Austen saith that the wicked here | ||
345 | Eateth not Christes fleshe, but the good only, | |
Meanes not, but that Christ is eaten eueriwhere, | ||
Both of good and ill, him-selfe doth plaine trye: | ||
The euill doth eate it, and not eate it truely: | ||
Sacramentally thei eat Christes fleshe and bloud, | ||
350 | Though not to their soule health, as doth all the good. | |
Now those that do not eate it to that effecte, | ||
Are counted then not to eate it at all, | ||
As he that with any sickenes is infecte, | ||
And digesteth not his meat, it norisheth but smal | ||
355 | For which as not eaten be counted it shall. | |
Euen so he that eateth Christ with a faith vntru, | ||
Is counted not to eate, because hurt doth ensue. | ||
Christ must be Iesus, to those that him receiue, | ||
Or els to their hurt, the receiue him, we se, | ||
360 | As did the euil Iewes, by this thou maist perceiue | |
That for to eat Christes flesh, in such sort must be. | ||
To nourishe his soule in Christ, or els he, | ||
Eates not a sauiour, though it be Christ in-dede, | ||
But greater iudgement, as in S. Paul we rede. i. Cor. xi. | ||
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365 | By this thou mayest perceiue, s. Austens minde, | |
Is not to deny Christ in the sacrament, | ||
For the truth in his workes most plain thou maist finde, | ||
Therfore nothing lesse then thou saist he ment, | ||
As vnto the I haue proued euidente. | ||
370 | I lyke your proffe quod I, I wyl no more contend. | |
Then for this tune, quod he, I haue made an ende. | ||
Nowe whan he had all these figures declared, | ||
Sodainly he vanisht fro me a_way. | ||
Then whan I sawe that, I me-selfe prepared | ||
375 | To se more in this hall, and then with-out stay, | |
I loked on my ryght hand, on the which side lay | ||
But two stories of the newe testament, | ||
Which were the verites that the figures mente. | ||
The first was the solemne supper of our lord, | ||
380 | At the whiche his body he did consecrate, [E]rasm. in his [P]araphrases [vp]on the .xxiiii. [of] Luc. | |
Plasing a newe sacrifice for the comforde, | ||
Of his newe churche, which shall not consummate, | ||
Untyll he come againe hir to congregate, [H]ebr. ix. | ||
To raigne with him: which sacrifice he did ordaine, | ||
385 | In place of all the olde, tyll than to remaine. | |
Next vnto this was very rychly wrought, | ||
Howe Christ on the crosse suffred passion, | ||
Wherby all mankind with his bloud he bought, | ||
Procuring therby eternall redemption, | ||
390 | Leuing on his parte, scripture doth mention, | |
Not one iote concerning his death and suffraunce, | ||
Therfore he is not now offred, but in remembraunce. | ||
sig: C2 | ||
For there remaineth no sacrifice for sinne, | ||
By any shedding of bloud or death suffring: | ||
395 | For Christ ones by deth Gods fauour so did win, | |
He needes to dye no more: for that one offring | ||
Was sufficient, whiche death as remembring, | ||
We offer to God, as was tolde me before, | ||
As our cheife meane of mercy to him euermore. | ||
400 | Then betwen these stories stood Dauid the king, | |
With a scrole in his hande all alonge spreed, | ||
And indifferently to these stories pointing, | ||
This verse he had written which I theron redde: | ||
Thou arte a priest for euermore, it [s]ed, sed] fed 1554 Psalm. cx Hebr. vii. | ||
405 | After Melchizedeches, order then in fine | |
I thought of the worde tolde me by the deuine. | ||
This done euen sodainlye I did espye, | ||
A goodly lady of beauty excellent, | ||
Decte with golde and stone wondrous costly, | ||
410 | Whiche glistred like the sterres in the firmament: | |
Then the Euangelistes I sawe redy bente, | ||
Hir to defende with the apostell saint Paule, | ||
And also there was the ancient doctours all, | ||
This lady on a thre-cornerde sto[n]e did stande, | ||
415 | In the whiche, Christus was grauen very well, | |
And an hoost consecrate she helde in hir hande, | ||
With muche more reuerence then I can tell, | ||
Then stood the Euangelistes ech with his gospel | ||
And S. Paule also, eche shewing euident | ||
420 | The place wher they defende this holy sacrament. | |
sig: [C2v] | ||
Then al the doctors, toke of them for their defence, | ||
Eche of them a sworde sharpe and durable, | ||
And faith toke them targattes of noble science, | ||
By which to withstande, al men they were able. | ||
425 | Thus they stood stoutly lyke men firme and stable, | |
Alway redy with these wepones to fight, | ||
Against all that woulde not lady faith vse right. | ||
Then sawe I on their targattes written plaine | ||
Scutum fidei , and farthermore lyke case, | ||
430 | Upon their swordes uerbum dei certaine, | |
Thus orderly they stood eche in his place, | ||
This lady to defende assisted with grace, | ||
Whiche had on her breest, in letters of golde, | ||
Fides catholica , moost goodly to beholde. | ||
435 | Then I seing all this, with great reuerence, | |
On my knees to Christ I kneled by and by, | ||
And with diuine honour as God in one assence, | ||
With the father and the holy ghost truely, | ||
I did him there worship in that mystery. | ||
440 | Then reason in a corner spied me right soone, | |
And calde me Idolater, for that I had done. [R]eason rebel[le]th againste [Fa]ieth | ||
Then, quod I to him, why dost thou reproue me | ||
For geuing of honour, where honour is due? | ||
I would agree, quod he, if I that could se, | ||
445 | But til then, I wyll not thinke it to be true. | |
I se but very bread, therfore doth ensewe, | ||
It is but bread, which is not honour worthy, | ||
For whiche I call it plaine Idolatry. | ||
sig: C3 | ||
Thou maist se here, quod I, that scripture doth hold | ||
450 | That vnder the forme of bread is christes body, | |
Which here is defended by the doctours olde: | ||
Do not all these proue the a very nody? | ||
To dispute this, quod he, I wyll not stody: | ||
For why of me-selfe my power is but small, | ||
455 | But being ioyned with man then dispute I shal. | |
Thou knowest, quod he, that I am but a powre, | ||
Geuen by god to mans soule, to know good and ill, | ||
I haue no grosse body, though at this houre | ||
I appeare to the thus, because thou canst no skill, | ||
460 | Of a gifte as I am, but this say I wyll. | |
In that I am a gifte in mannes soule to dwel, | ||
The number of my dwellinges no tongue can tel. | ||
Therfore now seing that I can not attaine | ||
How Christes body vnder fourme of bread can be | ||
465 | Some men I wyll sure, earnestly constraine | |
To assaulte this faith, whiche I here do se. | ||
For in no case, I wyll thereto agree. agree] agrree 1554 | ||
Therfore in-to some heades suche blastes I wyll blowe, | ||
That I trust anone her cleane to ouerthrowe. | ||
470 | Then in a great fume he vanished a_way, | |
Which seing, towardes faith I turned my face. | ||
O man quod she now in me thy hart stay, | ||
And let not reason out of thy hart race | ||
This holy sacrament, called good grace, | ||
475 | For the great profyte, that to man it doth bring, | |
If he it receiue with faith according. | ||
sig: [C3v] | ||
Then with that sodainely came rushing in The firste assaulte of the sacrament, by Berengarius. | ||
Reason with a standerde, which would not bowe, | ||
Faring as though al the feelde he would winne, | ||
480 | Crying thou false faith defende thy-selfe nowe. | |
And on his standard was written, how how how. | ||
His captaines name theron also was written thus | ||
The noble archedeacon Berengarius. | ||
Then when I sawe this I was abashed, | ||
485 | Cheifly to se them come for suche intent, | |
Asyde for a tyme then I reculed: | ||
But not fro the sight of the sacrament, | ||
Nor out of the reache of faith I neuer went, | ||
But ioyned my-selfe vnto the doctours olde, | ||
490 | Whiche to defende faith did styll together holde. | |
Then vewing these warriours of wicked mind. | ||
I meene Berengarius, with his retenue, | ||
Their wepons were such, that I mused to finde | ||
Any suche, excepte it were of a turke or Iewe, | ||
495 | Whiche are the enemies that doth faith persue. | |
Turkey bowes they bare all, on whiche I did se | ||
This worde plainly written incredulitie. | ||
Then eche of them had an arowe in his hande, | ||
The which had heades very sharp, named error, | ||
500 | Fetherd with scripture falsly vnderstand, | |
Because to perse hartes they should haue the more powre | ||
Than began they all to shote a great scowre: | ||
And gaue a sore assaulte with an out-crye. | ||
Hoc est , quod they, this is, doth signifie. | ||
sig: [C4] | ||
505 | Then the olde doctours hering this out-crye, | |
Made by christen men, thought it monstruous. | ||
And they sawe the arrowes of errour flye | ||
To distroy this sacrament moost glorious, | ||
Then thei with their targetes, like men vertuous | ||
510 | Bare of their great shoote, and then againe, | |
With their swordes they cut al these arrowes in twaine, | ||
Then soberly eche man did say his sentence, | ||
According as the Euangelistes doth tell, | ||
Affirminge the trueth in the litterall sense, | ||
515 | Alowing no glose that trueth to repell, | |
But to be taken, as it standes in the gospell: | ||
Whiche is, hoc est corpus meum , to be ment, | ||
That Christ lefte his own body in the sacrament. | ||
Then as Berengarius was preparing, | ||
520 | More arrowes against the sacrament to shote, | |
A number of doctours was redy, not sparyng | ||
Their studies to spende his errour to roote | ||
Out of his hart, so that he coulde not boote | ||
Any more against the sacrament to striue, | ||
525 | Then with their swordes to the grounde they did him driue. | |
Then with that reason did let his stanndard fal, | ||
And at the foote of faith he fell prostrate. | ||
Then Berengarius for Gods grace did call, This Berengarius recanted thrise. | ||
And forsoke his errour so contaminate, | ||
530 | Doinge penaunce therfore after suche rate, | |
That God was pleased, and his penaunce did take, | ||
As he doth of all those that doth sinne forsake. | ||
sig: [C4v] | ||
Then this assaulte for that time finished, | ||
And faith stood constaunt as she did before, | ||
535 | Holding the sacrament nothing diminished, | |
But stood in honour as it did euermore. | ||
Then of people I sawe there many a score, | ||
Which gaue to the sacrament honour diuine, | ||
Without any checke therefro to recline. | ||
540 | Thus lady faith quietly stoode a great while, | |
Tyll sathan the deuill therat had enuy, | ||
Which sought busely some men to begyle, | ||
As he had done before ful deceitfully. | ||
The which came to passe experience did trye. | ||
545 | For anone I hard a great trumpet blowe, | |
Then some enemies was nigh, by that I dyd know | ||
Then came in reason with a standard new, | ||
Which had theron the same superscription, | ||
That the other had, which did faith persewe, | ||
550 | Changing but only in one condicion | |
There captaines names, which had the tuicion, | ||
Of that wicked hoost, then was Iohn_Wyikcleffe. | ||
Hierom of Prage and Husse workers or mischeif. The seconde assaulte of the sacramente, by wykcleiffe and his felowes. Hierome of Prage, Hus and zuinglius .etc. | ||
All their weapones were of the same sorte | ||
555 | As the other were, sauing as I did here | |
Their out-crye was so terrible and short, | ||
As though lady faith thei wold cleane ouer_bere. | ||
Their arrowes flew so thicke, my flesh shoke for fere. | ||
Then al their cheife crie as these arrowes came | ||
560 | Was these wordes, caro non prodest quicquam . Ioan. vi. | |
sig: D1 | ||
Then the doctors all their targets furth did hold, | ||
From their cruel shot faith for to defende, | ||
And with their swerdes like warriours most bold, | ||
Thei stroke at them sore, but yet thei would not bend, | ||
565 | But arrogantly much tyme thei did spend | |
Against lady faith, but nothing preuailing, | ||
The doctors so well withstode their assailyng. | ||
Who all with one voice did wholy agre, | ||
That this text, the fleshe doth profite nothing, | ||
570 | Was in this sense onely taken to be, | |
Nothing it profites after the Iewes meanyng, | ||
For thei vnderstode a carnal eating, | ||
As though thei should eate it in gobbets dedde, | ||
As we do eate fleshe wherwith we are fedde. | ||
575 | Whiche errour to remoue, Christ before sayth: | |
The spirit it is that quickneth, as he would say, | ||
To eate this fleshe of mine as your iudgementes hath | ||
Conceiued, so would profite you no way, | ||
But because therby profite haue ye may, | ||
580 | Ioyned with the holy spirit ye shal haue it plain, | |
By whiche to geue life, the fleshe shall attaine. | ||
Thinke ye that I meane that ye my flesh shal eat | ||
In this forme, as I stande here before you all | ||
Mangled out in pieces, as ye do other meat? | ||
585 | Nay, that ye are deceiued well perceiue ye shall. | |
For this body ye shall se by power potencial, | ||
Ascend wher it came fro. What will ye say than? | ||
Then shal ye well know I am more then a man. | ||
sig: [D1v] | ||
Thus the doctours all did affirme and say, | ||
590 | That of Christes words this was the perfite sense, | |
Prouing that Christ these wordes to the Iewes did lay | ||
Because of his godhead they shuld haue intelligence, | ||
And then to his words to haue geuen credence. | ||
But yet thei wold not beleue more then they sawe, | ||
595 | Whiche was his manhod, his godhod they would not knowe. | |
Nedes would thei know how thei his flesh shuld eat, | ||
Or els they would not beleue him at all. | ||
Plainly he tolde them of this heauenly meate, | ||
But in contention with Christ they would fall, | ||
600 | The tyme thei wold not tary, but stil on Christ cal | |
With a doubtful howe, whiche Christ knew full well, | ||
Therfore howe they should eat it, Christ would not tell. | ||
But afterwarde to those that would not contend, | ||
But with humble silence Christes wordes did beleue, | ||
605 | At the tyme whiche he before did intende, | |
He gaue them his fleshe their soules to releue, | ||
Under suche a fourme, that it did not greue | ||
Their stomakes, for vnder the forme of bread it lay | ||
With whiche their bodies were fed euery day. | ||
610 | Yet these enemies of Christ hearing all this, | |
Would not in any case thervnto agre: | ||
But cryed that all they had sayd amys, | ||
And that in their sense taken it must be: | ||
Whiche was, that Christes fleshe could profite in no degre | ||
615 | To be eaten: and then the doctors this seyng | |
With their swordes droue them away, they had there no beyng. | ||
sig: D2 | ||
Thus when with their words thei had ouerthrown | ||
This wicked host, which against Christ did striue, | ||
That long after thei wer neither seen nor knowen, | ||
620 | Tyl that the deuil another drift did dryue | |
Against fayth, the whiche plainly to discriue: | ||
When fayth a great while had stande at a stay, | ||
New trumpettes I heard blowe, and great horses bray. | ||
Nowe as my duetie was, and as I did before, | ||
625 | I worshipped Christ there with honor diuine. | |
In came reason, and with him many a score, The third assault of the sacrament, by Luther and his felowes | ||
And at this my dede they did sore repyne, | ||
Saiyng, an idol I made of bread and wyne. | ||
Then sawe I their standardes, whiche were in numbre thre | ||
630 | Their names I wyll tell you as I did them se. | |
The first standard had theron Martine_Luther, | ||
Whiche of that wicked host was cheif captaine, | ||
He gaue his assault like a wycked tuter, | ||
With great gunshot, but yet for to be plaine, | ||
635 | He shot not so sore as did the other twayne. | |
For in their crye, but a signe thei did it make. | ||
But Luther and his the litteral sense did take, | ||
Whiche was, that hoc est , must litterally | ||
Be taken as it standes, as Christ had it tolde, | ||
640 | But yet because bread remayned to his eye, | |
That it was bread styl, styfly he did hold. | ||
And yet Christes body, that by Iudas was sold. | ||
But thei wer sore withstand by the doctors stout. | ||
Then with that Luther on saint Paule cried out | ||
sig: [D2v] | ||
645 | I will sayth Luther take witnes here of Paul, | |
Whiche I am sure spake by the holy ghost. | ||
For euen as it is, bread he doth it call: | ||
And you maister doctors in eche place almost, | ||
Where ye treate of this matter this I dare bost, | ||
650 | You call it bread also, defende this and ye can, | |
Then to honor bread God hath forbidden man. | ||
Then one of the doctors hearing this reason, | ||
In person of all began to dispute. | ||
Errour quod he with the is not geason. | ||
655 | Why doste thou thy-selfe madly confute | |
With saint Paule, and vs after the same sute? | ||
Nay quod Luther, your own wordes against you I lay, | ||
For I am sure you cal it bread, as I say. | ||
Saint Paule quod that doctor doth cal it bread, | ||
660 | Not meanyng it is so, but doth so appeare: | |
Because it so was, our iudgementes is led, | ||
To call it bread styll, as though it bread were, | ||
The whiche kynd of speche the scripture doth bere, | ||
Whiche sayth that the rods of Aaron did deuoure, | ||
665 | The rods of the Egyptians made by the deuils power. | |
Yet were they no roddes, but serpentes aliue, | ||
But because thei were rods, rods they be called. | ||
Also when Christ in Galile by prerogatiue Ioan. ii. | ||
Turned water to wyne, and then commaunded | ||
670 | To geue it to the bridegrome, which anone thei did | |
When he had tasted of the water, sayth S Iohn: | ||
Here he calde it water, when it was wine alo[n]e. | ||
sig: [D3] | ||
Euen so saint Paule and all these doctors here | ||
Calth the sacrament bread, because bread we se, | ||
675 | Which proues it no more bread, then the serpents rods were | |
Nor the wyne water in Cana_Galile: | ||
But here nowe one thing obiected may be. Obiection | ||
The serpentes were seen serpentes natural, | ||
And the wyne tasted wyne material. | ||
680 | So here was two of the senses satisfied, | |
Therfore that this was true, reason must agre, | ||
But now howe can this be verified | ||
In the sacrament, where we no chaunge do se, | ||
In sight nor in tast that perceiued can be? | ||
685 | Where the senses can not reache, faith doth attain, Answere. | |
This for our soules health, Christ hath lefte vs plaine. | ||
For him-selfe vnto saint Thomas did say, | ||
Thou beleuest, sayth he, because thou dost se: | ||
But I say to the, blessed be all they, | ||
690 | That though they se not, yet wil beleue in me. | |
To beleue in Christ what iudgest thou to be | ||
Is it not to beleue all that Christ doth teache | ||
In mysteries of fayth aboue reasons reache? | ||
Of the whiche among all that Christ hath left here, | ||
695 | This sacrament doth all other excel: | |
First, because Christ is there and yet seen no-where | ||
But by fayth, which in this doth reason down fel, | ||
Whiche with all our senses against it doth rebel, | ||
And yet fayth doth byd vs it to defende, | ||
700 | Whiche we intende to do vnto our lyues ende. | |
sig: [D3v] | ||
Now while this doctor and Luther talked thus, | ||
In came a standard all abrode displayed, | ||
Under whiche came in Oecolampadius , [T]he fourth [as]sault of the [sa]crament, [by] Oecolam[pa]dius and [hi]s felowes | ||
Faring as though he wold make them all afrayde, | ||
705 | And against the sacrament like a beast he brayde, | |
And as did Beringarius, so did he it assayle, | ||
But the doctours defended it, he could not preuail. | ||
Then Oecolampadius in his assaultyng | ||
Heard Luther defende Christes presence bodily | ||
710 | To be vnder the sacrament, and not-withstanding | |
The substaunce of bread to byde with the body, | ||
For the whiche he did reproue Luthers foly, | ||
Saiyng that no learned man would agre, | ||
Two substances in one body to be. | ||
715 | Christ was promist quod he to be incarnate, | |
So that God and man one substaunce should be, | ||
But who-euer red he should be impanate, | ||
And take the nature of bread in vnitee | ||
Of person, and so make his natures thre, | ||
720 | Of the whiche, one wyll corrupt we spye, | |
And then shalbe false, the prophetes prophecie. Thou shalt [n]ot suffre thy [h]oly one to see [c]orruption. [P]sal. xxv. | ||
These inconueniences with diuers other mo, | ||
Oecolampadius plainly declared, | ||
With the doctors all confirmed to be so: | ||
725 | But then to speake more he him-selfe prepared. | |
For to be mistaken very sore he feared, | ||
All inconueniences cleane to put a_way, | ||
It was but onely a signe of Christ he did say. | ||
sig: [D4] | ||
Thus Luther and he began to contend, | ||
730 | Though thei both did erre, yet did thei not agre, | |
Of the whiche debate or they had made an ende. | ||
Carolstadius cummyng anone I did see, The fift assault of the sacrament, by Carolstadius and his felowes | ||
His assault before Luther gaue he, | ||
But hearing them newe gloses to inuent, | ||
735 | To lose his fame so, he was not content. | |
Fyrst he hearing Luther defende so stoutly | ||
That hoc est corpus meum , must be vnderstand, | ||
That with bread was Christes own very body, | ||
And then on the other side how he was withstand | ||
740 | By Oecolampadius whiche that text scand, | |
That hoc est must nedes be, this doth signifie, | ||
And stepping betwene, he sware thei both did lye | ||
Than of proud Nembroth I though[t] at that houre thought] though 1554 | ||
Whom God preuented with all his company, | ||
745 | At buildyng of the Babilonical towre. | |
By confusion of tongues of God letted their foly, | ||
And so did he theirs, experience did trye, | ||
For when they thought lady faith to ouerrunne, | ||
They were as nye as when they fyrst begunne. | ||
750 | For when the other twayne as I before say, | |
Had these wordes of Christ to interpretate, | ||
He affirmed plain that thei toke the wrong way, | ||
And that the spirit of truth did his heart inflate: | ||
The sense of these words sayth he, are in this rate | ||
755 | To be vnderstande, not est for signifie, | |
But est , for is, euen as the text doth lye. | ||
sig: [D4v] | ||
So then, this is my body, Christ did say plaine. | ||
But to what pointed he, when he did so say, | ||
To the bread? nay there deceiued are ye twayne: | ||
760 | He pointed to him-selfe sitting there that day, | |
Not meanyng of the bread by any way, | ||
But that thei should eate it in the remembrance, | ||
Both of his great loue, and also his sufferance. | ||
Then eche of them affirmed his owne sense | ||
765 | To be the very truth, although contrarie | |
They were eche to other, they stode in defence | ||
Of their sayinges, and so beganne to vary. | ||
Yet, though eche showde him-selfe aduersarie | ||
Unto ladie fayth, yet at the last they fell, | ||
770 | Through pryde one against another to rebel. | |
But when the doctors harde Carolstadius | ||
Of christes plain wordes, so false a glose to take: | ||
O wicked man, quod thei, herken vnto vs, | ||
What scripture hast thou that for thi part doth make? | ||
775 | For what cause toke Christ bread and these words spake: | |
Take, eat, this is my body, marke this thing well, | ||
And to what thing Christ did point this wyll the tell. | ||
Christes taking of the bread in his holy hand, | ||
His geuing of thankes, blessing and breaking | ||
780 | And bidding them eate, can no way be scande, | |
But that his act did concurre with his speaking, | ||
Saiyng, this is my body, what playner thing | ||
Can there be, to proue that that which thei did eat | ||
Was his owne body, that most heauenly meat? | ||
sig: E1 | ||
785 | Of all foolishe gloses, that is moost madde, | |
To say that of the bread Christ ment not at all, | ||
And if that should be true, then the Iewes had | ||
A better repast in eating their paschall, | ||
That was fleshe and bloud, and had life naturall, | ||
790 | Then with christ in figure they were truely fedde, | |
But we haue not so muche, if Christ ment not of the breade. | ||
When he had this saied, these wretches all | ||
Began against faieth to be more vehement, Euery kingdome deuided in it-selfe shall be desolate. Math. xii. | ||
But then because in-to sectes, they did fall, | ||
795 | Hauing amonge them no kinde of agrement, | |
Conserning the right faieth in the sacrament, | ||
Eche against other his fancye did defende, | ||
Thus brauling with them-selues this assaulte did ende. | ||
Then lyke brainles beastes they fell in decay, | ||
800 | Lyke those that had sought their own confusion, | |
Leuing lady faieth in hir olde godly staye, | ||
To whom all the doctours in conclucion, | ||
Submitted them-selues with-out abusion, | ||
And vnto Christ there in the sacrament, | ||
805 | They kneled downe with deuotion reuerent. | |
Then stood lady faieth quietly in rest, | ||
Holding the sacrament honorably, | ||
Yet some now and then would haue hir opprest, | ||
Whiche were souldiours of wicked heresye, Meane souldiers Frythe, Lambert, Tyndall .etc. | ||
810 | Assaulting hir ofte very cruelly, | |
Whom for to hurte when they sawe they lacked power, | ||
They fled backe all to the tente of errour. | ||
sig: [E1v] | ||
Wherin they did rest, I sawe them no more, | ||
Then kneled I downe doyng reuerence, | ||
815 | Vnto Christ there as I had done before, | |
Suppossing the deuilles deadly diligence, | ||
Had bene debarde by the doughty defence, | ||
Of all the doctours, and as I there stood, | ||
I harde horses bray as they had bene woode. | ||
820 | Then began my hart for great feare to quake The .vi. assault against the sacrament here in Englande. | |
Me-thought al the world against faith was bent, | ||
But then faith bad me a good hart to take, | ||
For this assaulte, quod she, wyll be feruent, | ||
But looke that fro me thou be not absent, | ||
825 | And take here, quod she, this target and sworde, The target of faith and the sworde of the word of God. | |
Glad was I then of hir to heare that worde. | ||
Then as I toke these my-selfe to defende, | ||
In came reason whiche a standard did beare, | ||
Upon the whiche in blacke letters was pende. | ||
830 | The names of al those which his captaines wer. | |
Whom when I beheld like byshoppes did appere, appere] apppere 1554 | ||
Whiche in my mynde was a straunge sight to se, | ||
Byshoppes on that sort disgysed to be. | ||
The first was two Archbyshops whom I did know, | ||
835 | The third Rydley, which on the quene did raile, | |
The fourth was Hoper, the fifte was Barlowe, | ||
The syxt was Poinet, and the seuenth was Bale, | ||
The eight was Brown, and the ninth Couerdale, | ||
Farrer and Tayler made twelue with Skory, | ||
840 | To se them in this case my hart was sory. | |
sig: E2 | ||
Their foote-men thei had which by them did ronne | ||
As Rogers, Rose, Horne, Saunders and Harlay, | ||
Cardmarker, Becon Crouley, and Sampson, | ||
Peter_Hart, Carter, and olde Bylney, | ||
845 | Tomson, Kyrkame, Douglas, Knokes, and Makbray | |
Bradforde, old Steuens and yong Samuel, | ||
With the two Turners, and mo then I can tell. | ||
For whom I did then most hartly praye, | ||
That our lord in time would turne their hartes all, | ||
850 | For by their yll doctrine many a daye, | |
They haue caused many from faieth to fall, | ||
But God graunte that his churche Catholicall, | ||
They may learne to knowe and to hir to come, | ||
Then shall they reigne with hir in his kingdome. | ||
855 | In armour as blacke as any ynke they were, | |
And on the creast of their helmetes on hye, | ||
A womans fore[s]leue eche of them did bere, foresleue] forefleue 1554 | ||
The which as I toke it, did signifye, | ||
That for womens loues their manhoodes they wold trie, | ||
860 | Turkey bowes eche of them had redy bent, | |
To shote out therof their errours pestilent. | ||
Then sawe I the cheife byshop of them all, Cranmer | ||
Rushe to the doctours vnreuerently, | ||
And rent out of their bookes in gobetes small, | ||
865 | Peices for his purpose, whiche peruersly, | |
He chewde with his teeth, and then spitefully, | ||
Shot them at lady faieth in pellet-wyse, | ||
And beastly did the sacrament despise. | ||
sig: [E2v] | ||
Then certaine byshoppes on lady faithes part | ||
870 | Began against him hir stoutly to defende, [C]atholyke by[sh]oppes. [W]inchester. [L]ondon. Worcestor. Chechester and [D]uresme. | |
Which when I sawe did comfort my hart. | ||
But then or this their debate had an ende, | ||
The deuyl new souldiors against faith did sende, | ||
Whiche came vnder the standerd of ignoraunce, | ||
875 | Of whom selfe-wyl had the cheife gouernaunce. | |
By helpe of these the byshoppes effeminate, | ||
Against lady faith did so much preuaile, The byshopes aboue named. | ||
That certain of hir men to them was captiuate, | ||
And for hir sake was laide fast in gayle, | ||
880 | Then before hir was drawne such a vaile, The dayly oblation was taken away. | |
That she was so hid, fewe men could hir se, | ||
Tyll God sawe time, that seene she should be. | ||
For the whiche as I a longe time did pray, | ||
I harde trompetes blowe very swete and hye, The commynge in of quene Mary. | ||
885 | Then did my hart reioyce putting care a_way, | |
Me-thought the sounde was of some victory, | ||
With that comming in I sawe sodainly, | ||
A noble standard all of white and grene, | ||
Imbrodred with roses royally beseene. | ||
890 | After the whiche standard did enter in, | |
One tryumphantly as the cheife captaine, | ||
Whiche was a crowned quene and vyrgin, | ||
Who seing lady faieth so had in disdaine, | ||
Drue backe the vaile that I might se plaine, The dayly offring set vp againe. | ||
895 | Lady faieth styll holding the sacrament, | |
To the which the quene did knele continent. | ||
sig: [E3] | ||
Geuing to our lorde harty laudes and prayse, | ||
Whiche had geuen to hir so great a victory, | ||
Against hir enemies in so fewe dayes, | ||
900 | With-out bloude-shede most miraculously, | |
Commaunding streight to set at libertye, The prisoners deliuerd which suffred for lady faiethes sake. | ||
All these whiche imprisonment did take, | ||
And were punished for lady faiethes sake. | ||
Whiche done euen sodainely as I there stoode, | ||
905 | Al that I had seene vanisht fro my sight, | |
The which sodaine chaunge made me chaunge my mood | ||
But then Morpheus came again to me right, | ||
And bade me feare nothing, then fast as he might | ||
He brought me to my bed, and with that I did wake, | ||
910 | Then to write this vision some paines I did take. | |
Finis. |
||
sig: [E3v] | ||
¶The booke speaketh. |
||
NEedes must I speke, thoughe I be domme, | ||
Some mennes malice for to preuent, | ||
In whose handes when I chaunce to come | ||
Be sure I shall of euyll iudgement, | ||
5 | Because myne aucthour doth inuent, | |
My matter in a dreame to se, | ||
As a mans dreame they wyll counte me. | ||
For the whiche here as wysdome is, | ||
Who that in ieste doth me so call, | ||
10 | For an aunswere let them take this. | |
Some wordes written by Iames and Paule, | ||
In Luthers bookes plaine finde ye shall, | ||
Called their dreame because he knewe, | ||
That his errours they ouerthrewe. | ||
15 | In lyke maner I do not doute, | |
But that because I do inuay, | ||
Against all suche as went aboute, | ||
The perfite faieth for to decay, | ||
Some men which nowe fauour that way, | ||
20 | Haply my matter to defame, | |
Wyll saye that I haue a meete name. | ||
But sith as I do say before, | ||
That Iames and Paule they do deny, | ||
And by Christes wordes to passe nomore, | ||
25 | Then they do now, no cause se I, | |
To meruaile though they say I lye, | ||
And only dreame all that I tell, | ||
Though first and last, they knowe full well. | ||
sig: [E4] | ||
Cheiflye they knowe whiche learned be, | ||
30 | That these assaultes hath trulye been, | |
As for the laste, all we did see, | ||
Tyll God did sende our noble quene, | ||
Whiche nowe wyll haue as hath been seene, | ||
The christen faieth truely confest, | ||
35 | As Gods worde hath it plaine exprest. | |
Therfore I say, for to conclude, | ||
What they do say I do not passe, | ||
And mine authour thoughe they delude, | ||
Yet wyll I shewe plaine who he was, | ||
40 | Because no lawe I wyll trespasse, | |
Myles_Hogarde, men do call his name, | ||
Who to this ende did me first frame. | ||
Finis: |
||
Imprinted at London by Robert_Caly, within the precinct of the late dissolued house of the graye-Freers, nowe conuerted to an Hospitall, called Christes_Hospitall.·. The .xx. daye of September.·. 1554. |