sig: [A1] | |
A pore helpe. | |
¶The buklar and defence | |
Of mother holy kyrke | |
And weapen to driue hence | |
Al that against here wircke. | |
sig: [A1v] | |
WIl none in al this lande | |
Step forth and take in hand | |
These felowes to withstand | |
In number like the sande | |
5 | That wyth the Gospel melles |
And wil do nothynge elles | |
But tratlinge tales telles | |
Agaynste our holy prelacie | |
And holy churches dignitie | |
10 | Sayinge it is but papistrie |
Yea fayned and Hypocrisy | |
Erronious and heresye | |
And taketh theire authoritye | |
Out of the holy euangelie | |
15 | All customes ceremoniall |
And rites ecclesiastical | |
Not grounded on scripture | |
No longer to endure | |
And thus ye may be sure | |
20 | The people they allure |
And drawe them from youre lore | |
The whiche wil greue you sore | |
Take hede I saye therfore | |
Your nede was neuer more | |
25 | But sens ye be so slacke |
It greuith me a_lacke | |
sig: A2 | |
To here behind your backe | |
Howe they wyll carpe and cracke | |
And none of you that dare | |
30 | With one of them compare |
Yet some ther be that are | |
So bolde to shewe there ware | |
And is no priest nor deacon | |
And yet wyl fire his becone | |
35 | Against such felowes fraile |
Make out wyth tothe and nayle | |
And hoyste vp mayne-saile | |
And manfully to fyght | |
In holy prelates right | |
40 | With penne and ynke and paper |
And like no trifling Iaper | |
To touch these felowes in-dede | |
With all expedient spede This and the following line are added in W | |
And not before it nede | |
45 | And I in-dede am he |
That wayteth for to se | |
Who dare so hardy be | |
To encounter here with me | |
I stande here in defence | |
50 | Of sume that be far hence |
And can both blysse and sence | |
And also vnder-take | |
Right holy thinges to make | |
Yea god within a cake | |
sig: [A2v] | |
55 | And who-so that forsake |
His breade shalbe dowe-bake | |
I openly professe | |
The holy blissed masse | |
Of strength to be no lesse | |
60 | Then it was at the firste |
But I woulde se who dourst | |
Set that amonge the worst | |
For he should be acurst | |
With boke and bell and candel | |
65 | And so I would him handel |
That he shoulde right wel knowe | |
Howe to escape I trow | |
So hardy on his head | |
Depraue our holy breade | |
70 | Or els to prate or patter |
Against oure holy-watter | |
This is a playne matter | |
It nedeth not to flatter | |
They be suche holy thinges | |
75 | As hath bene vsed with kinges |
And yet these lewde loselles | |
That bragge vpon ther Gospelles | |
At ceremonies swelles | |
And at our christined belles | |
80 | And at your longe gownes |
sig: A3 | |
And at your shauen crownes | |
And at your tipettes fyne | |
And Iauelles will repyne | |
They saye ye lead euil liues | |
85 | Wyth other mens wyues |
And wil none of your owne | |
And so your sede is sowne | |
In other menns grounde | |
True wedlocke to confound | |
90 | Thus do they raile and Raue |
Calling euery priest knaue | |
That loueth messe to saye | |
And after Idel al day | |
They woulde not haue you playe | |
95 | To driue the time awaye |
But brabble on the byble | |
Whiche is but vn_possible | |
To be lerned in al your life | |
Yet therin be they rife | |
100 | Which maketh al this strife |
And also the paraphrasies | |
Much differing from your porteises | |
They woulde haue dayly vsed | |
And porteise cleane refused | |
105 | But they shalbe accused |
That haue so far abused | |
sig: [A3v] | |
Their tonges against such holines | |
And holy churches busines | |
Made hundred yeres ago | |
110 | Great clearckes affirmeth so |
And other many mo | |
That searched to and fro | |
In scripture for to fynde | |
What they myght leaue behinde | |
115 | For to be kept in mynde |
Amonge the people blind | |
As waueringe as the wynde | |
And wrote thereof suche bokes | |
That whoso on them lokes | |
120 | Shal find them to be clarkes |
As proueth by their warks | |
And yet therebe that barke | |
And say they be but darcke | |
But harke ye loulars harke | |
125 | So wel we shal you marcke |
That if the worlde shall turne | |
A sort of you shall burne | |
Ye durst as wel I saye | |
Wythin this tow yeres day | |
130 | As sone to rune a_waye |
As such partes to playe | |
When sume dyd rule and reygne | |
sig: A4 | |
And auncient thinges maintayne | |
Which nowe be counted vaine | |
135 | And brought into disdayne |
Suche men I saye they were | |
As loued not thys geare | |
And kept you styl in feare | |
To burne or faggottes bere | |
140 | Then durste ye not be b[ol]de bolde] blode 1548 |
(Against our lerninges olde | |
Or images of golde | |
Which nowe be bought and solde | |
And were the lay-mannes boke | |
145 | Whereon they ought to loke) |
One worde to speake a_misse | |
Can ye say nay to this? | |
No no ye foles I_wysse | |
A thinge to playne it is. | |
150 | Then did these clarkes deuyne |
Dayly them-selues encline | |
To proue and to define | |
That Christes body aboue | |
Whiche suffered for oure loue | |
155 | And died for oure behoue |
Is in the sacrament | |
Fleshe bloude and bone present | |
And breade and wyne a_waye | |
sig: [A4v] | |
As sone as they shall saye | |
160 | The wordes of consecracion |
In time of celebracion | |
So muste it be in-dede | |
Though it be not in the crede | |
And yet thes felowes newe | |
165 | Wyl saye it is not true |
Christes body for to vewe | |
Wyth any bodely eye | |
That do they playne deny | |
And stifely stand therby | |
170 | And enterprise to wright |
And also to endight | |
Bokes both great and smal | |
Agaynste these fathers al | |
And heresy it cal | |
175 | That any man should teach |
Or to the people preache | |
Such thinges without their reach | |
And some ther be that say | |
That Christ cannot alday | |
180 | Be kept within a box |
Nor yet set in the stokes | |
Nor hidden like a fox | |
Nor presoner vnder lockes | |
Nor clothed with powdred armine | |
sig: [A5] | |
185 | Nor bredeth stinking vermine |
Nor dweleth in an howse | |
Nor eatyn of a mouse | |
Nor moulde or he be spent | |
Nor yet with fire be brent | |
190 | Nor rotten is nor rusty This and the following three lines are added in W |
Nor moth-eaten nor musty | |
Nor light as is a fether | |
Nor blown about with wether | |
Nor can no more be slayne | |
195 | Nor offered vp agayne |
Blessed sacrament for thy passion | |
Here and se our exclamacion | |
Agaynste thes men of new facion | |
That striue agaynst the holy nacion | |
200 | And Iest of them in plays |
In tauerns and hye-wayes | |
And theyr good actes disprayse | |
And martirs woulde them make | |
That brent were at a stake | |
205 | And sing pipe meri annot |
And play of wil-not cannot | |
And as for cannot and wil-not | |
Though they speke not of it it skil not | |
For a noble clarke of late | |
210 | And worthie in estate |
Hath played with them chek-mate | |
Theyr courage to abate | |
And telles them such a tale | |
As makes theyr bonettes vale | |
215 | And marreth cleane the sale. |
sig: [A5v] | |
Of all their whole pastime | |
And al is done in ryme | |
Oh, what a man is thys | |
That if he coulde I_wysse | |
220 | Woulde mend that is amys |
His meaninge is in-dede | |
That if he myght wel spede | |
And beare some rule againe | |
It shoulde be to their paine | |
225 | I thinke they were but worthye |
Because they be so sturdy | |
To rayle agaynste the wircke | |
Of our mother holy kyrke | |
Yet some ther be in fume | |
230 | And prowdly do presume |
Unto thys learned man | |
To answere and they can | |
And wene they had the grace | |
His balad to deface | |
235 | And trowe ye that wilbe? |
Nay nay beleue ye me | |
I take my marke amys | |
If once he dyd not mys | |
A verie narowe hys | |
240 | Wel if you come agayne |
Maye happen twelue men | |
sig: [A6] | |
Shal doe as they dyd then | |
Haue you forgote the bar | |
That euer ther you war | |
245 | And stode to make and mar |
By god and by the contrey | |
You had a narowe entrey | |
Take hede of coram nobis | |
We wyl reken wyth vobis | |
250 | If you come agayne |
We wyl know who pulled the hen | |
For all your bolde courage | |
You maye paye for the potage | |
And are you nowe so bragge | |
255 | You maye come to lagge |
Your happe may be to wagge | |
Upon a wodden nagge | |
Or els a fayer fyer | |
May hap to be your hier | |
260 | Take hede lest you tyer |
And lye downe in the myer | |
Holde fast by the mane | |
By the masse it is no game | |
If my Lord ware not lame | |
265 | You wyll all be tame |
When you here him next | |
Marcke well his texte | |
sig: [A6v] | |
He hath ben curstly vext | |
I fere me he be wext | |
270 | A popistant stout |
Surely all the rout | |
That heres him shall doubt | |
He wylbe in and out | |
Prowlynge rounde about | |
275 | To get forth the snowt |
If prayer maye do good | |
All the whole broode | |
Skuruy, skabbed, and skald | |
Shauen, shorne, and baul[d]e baulde] baule 1548 | |
280 | Pore priestes of Baule |
We praye for him all | |
Unto the god of breade | |
For if he be deade | |
We may go to bed | |
285 | Blyndefild and be led |
Without rag or shred | |
But I am sore adred | |
I se him loke so red | |
Yet I durste ley my heade | |
290 | As docter frier saide |
He hath some-what in store | |
Wel you shal knowe more | |
Herken well therefore | |
sig: [A7] | |
Some shal paye the skore | |
295 | He hath ben a pardoner |
And also a garddener | |
He hath ben a vitaylar | |
A Lordly hospitelar | |
A noble teacher | |
300 | And so-so a preacher |
Though Germin his man | |
Were hanged what than? | |
Say worsse and you can | |
Best let him alone | |
305 | For Peter Iames and Iohn |
And Apostelles euery one | |
I giue you playne warninge | |
Had neuer no suche learnyng | |
As hath thys famous clarke | |
310 | He is lerned beyond the marke beyond] be beyond 1548 |
And also mayster huggarde | |
Doth shewe him-selfe no sluggard | |
Nor yet no drunkin drunkarde | |
But sharpeth vp hys wyt | |
315 | And frameth it so fyt |
These yonkers for to hit | |
And wil not them permit | |
In errour stil to sit | |
As it may wel apeare | |
sig: [A7v] | |
320 | By his clarkely answere |
The whiche initled is | |
Agaynste what meaneth this | |
A man of olde sorte | |
And writeth not in sporte | |
325 | But answereth ernestly |
Concludynge heresy | |
And yet as I trowe | |
Some bluster and blo[w]e blowe] bloude 1548 | |
And crake (as the crowe) | |
330 | But nettes wyl wee laye |
To cache them if we maye | |
For if I begin begin] beging 1548 | |
I wyll bringe them in | |
And feche in my cosyns | |
335 | By the whole dosens |
And call them coram nobis | |
And teache them dominus vobis | |
With his et cum spiritu tuo | |
That holy be both-duo. | |
340 | When they be sayed and songe |
In holy latyn tonge | |
And solemne belles do ringe | |
But these babes be to yonge | |
Perkyng vpon theyr patins | |
345 | And fayne would haue the mattens |
sig: [A8] | |
And eueninge-songe also | |
In Englishe to be do | |
With mariage and baptising | |
Burialles and other thyng | |
350 | In vulgare tonge to saye and sing |
And so they do it newly | |
In diuerse places truly | |
Sayinge they do but duely | |
Maynteinyng it in any wyse | |
355 | So shoulde they do their seruice |
Alasse who woulde not mone | |
Or rather grount or grone | |
To se suche seruice gone | |
Whiche saued many one | |
360 | From dedly synne and shame |
And many a spote of blame | |
From purgatorye-payne | |
And many showre of rayne | |
Wel yet I saye agayne | |
365 | Some honest men remayne |
And kepe there customes stil | |
And euer-more wyl | |
Wherfore in-dede my read is | |
To take you to your beades | |
370 | Al men and women I saye |
That vseth so to praye | |
sig: [A8v] | |
That such good priestes maie | |
Continue so alwaye | |
Or eles none other like | |
375 | But al lieth in the dyke |
And loke ye do not faynt | |
But pray to some good saynt | |
That he maye make restraint | |
Of all these straung facions | |
380 | And greate abo[min]acions abominacions] abonamacions 1548 |
Because I maye not tary | |
I praye to swete Sir Harry | |
A man that wyl not vary | |
And one that is no sculker | |
385 | But [a] knyghte of the sepulchre a] kna. 1548 |
That he maye stand fast | |
And be not ouer-cast | |
Or eles to be the last | |
Of al them that do yelde | |
390 | In city towne or fielde |
For if he stike therin | |
No doute he shal not blin | |
Tyl he come to eternitie | |
With al his whole fraternite | |
395 | Amen therfore saye ye |
That his partakers be | |
Ye get no more of me | |
¶Finis. |