These are only fygures outwarde testymonyes No man is perfyght by soch darke ceremonyes Only perteyne they vnto the thirde cōmaundement Of the Sabboth daye tyll Christ the lorde be present In hys death endyng the whole Iudaycal presthode Infidelitas Good dayes myght ye haue ye speake it full wele by the rode I am a poore lad by my trouth bent ernestlye To wayte vpon ye and to be your very lackye Moseh lex What art thu called I praye the hartelye Infidelitas Graye fryre am I non by the Messe I cā not flatter I am Infydelyte to tell the truth of the matter Moseh lex And hast thu so longe dyssembled thus with me ▪ Infidelitas Yea for aduauntage to smell out your subtylyte Moseh lex Auoyde hens I saye thu false Infydelyte Infidelitas Naye that I wyll not by Yngham Trynyte Moseh lex Wylt thu not in dede thā wyll I fet hyther the poure Of iudges kynges to subdue the withī thys houre Infidelitas Exit Soch knyghtes wyll I haue as shall cōfounde thē all As Sadducees scrybes with the sect pharysayeal By helpe of my chyldren Idolatry and Sodomye The lawe of Nature I kest ones in a leprye I haue yet two more Ambycyon Couetousnes Whych wyll do as moch to the lawe of Moses Where are my whoresons that they come not awaye Auaritia Iurisconsultus Yea whoreson on thy face euen in thy best araye I wyll thu knowe it I am a worshypfull Doctour A Scrybe in the lawe and a profytable proctour Infidelitas By wrastynge the text to the scriptures sore decaye Infidelitas And what wylt thu do my fellawe Couetousnes Auaritia A vayle wyll I sprede vpon the face of Moses That nō shal perceyue the clerenes of hys cōtenaūce Whych is of the lawe the meanyng true ordynaūce Infidelitas Why what wyll ye saye vnto y e ten cōmaundemētes Ambitio We must poyson them with wyll workes good intentes Where as God doth saye No siraunge goddes thu shalt haue With Sayntes worshyppynge that clause we wyll depraue And though he cōmaunde to make no carued ymage For a good intent yet wyll we haue pylgrymage Though he wyll vs not to take hys name in vayne With tradycyons yet therunto wyll we constrayne No Sabboth wyl we with Gods worde sanctyfye But with lyppe labour and ydle ceremonye To father and mother we maye owe non obedyence Our relygyon is of so great excellence Though we do not slee yet maye we heretykes burne If they wyll not sone from holy scripture turne What though it be sayd Thu shalt do no fornycacyō Yet wyll we mayntene moch greatter abhomynacyon Though theft be forbyd yet wyll we contynually Robbe the poore people through prayer purgatorye God hath inhybyted to geue false testymonye Yet we wyll condempne the Gospell for heresye We shuld not couete our neybers howse nor wyfe Hys seruaunt nor beast yet are we therin most ryfe Of mē make we swyne by the draffe of our tradycyōs And cause thē nothynge to regard but superstycyōs As dogges vnresonable on most vyle carren fede So wyll we cause them seke ydolles in their nede And alwayes their groūde shall be for a good intēt Infidelitas More myscheues I trowe the deuyll coulde not inuēt Than your two can do by the Messe ye are alone Lyttle coulde I do were ye ones from me gone To the corruptynge of the lawe of Moyses Go forwarde therfor in your deceytfulnes Auaritia With superstycyons the Iewes ceremonyall lawes I wyll so hādle they shall not be worth ij strawes The lawes Iudycyall through cawtels and delayes I wyll also drowne to all ryghteouse mēnys decayes To set thys forwarde we must haue sophystrye Phylosophye and Logyck as scyence necessarye The byshoppes must holde their prestes in ignoraūce With longe latyne houres least knowledge to them chaunce Lete them haue lōge mattens lōge euē songes lōge Masses And that wyll make them as dull as euer were asses That they shall neuer be able to prophecye Or yet preach the truth to our great iniurye Lete the cloysterers be brought vp euer in sylence Without the scriptures in payne of dysobedyēce Se the laye people praye neuer but in latyne Lete them haue their Crede and seruyce all in latyne That a latyne beleue maye make a latyne sowle Lete them nothynge knowe of Christ nor yet of powle If they haue Englysh lete it be for aduaūtage For pardons for Syrges for offerynges and pylgrymage I recken to make them a newe Crede in a whyle And all in Englysh their conscyēce to begyle Infidelitas Rehearce vnto me the Artycles of that Crede Auaritia The artycles are these geue eare and take good hede First they shall beleue in our holy father Pope Next in hys decrees and holy decretals Then in holy church with sencer crosse and cope In the Ceremonyes and blessed Sacramētals In purgatory then in pardons and in trentals In praynge to sayntes and in saynt Frāces whoode In our lady of Grace and in the blessed roode They shall beleue also in rellyckes and relygyon In our ladyes psalter in fre wyll and good wurkes In the ember dayes and in the popes remyssyon In bedes and in belles not vsed of the turkes In the golden Masses agaynst soch spretes as lurkes With charmes and blessynges Thys crede wyll brynge in moneye In Englysh therfor we wyl it clarkely cōueye Infidelitas Yea and burne the knaues that wyll not beleue that crede That into the dytche the blynde the blynde maye lede Ambitio Then I holde it best that we alwayes condempne The Byble readers least they our acres contempne Infidelitas Yea neuer spare them but euermore playe the bytar Expressynge alwayes the tropes and types of thy mytar Ambitio Why what dost thu thynke my mytar to sygnyfy Infidelitas The mouth of a wolfe and that shall I proue by by If thu stoupe downewarde loo se hom the wolfe doth gape Redye to deuoure the lambes least any escape But thy woluyshnesse by thre crownes wyll I hyde Makynge the a pope a captayne of all pryde That whan thu doest slee soch as thy lawes contēyne Thu mayst saye Nor I but the powers ded them condempne These Labels betoken the lawes of senon cannon Ambitio I trowe thu woldest saye the ij lawes Cyuyle Canon Infidelitas As I spake I thought styll thynke by saynt Iohan Yea persecute styll the instructers of the people And thu Couetousnesse lete no bell rynge ī steple Without a profyght Tush take moneye euery whear So nygh clyppe and shaue that thu leaue neuer a heare Auaritia I caused the pope to take but now of late Of the Graye fryres to haue canonyzate Franciscus de pola thre thousād duckates and more And as moch besydes he had not longe afore For a Cardynall harte of the same holy order Thus drawe we to vs great goodes frō euery border Pope Clement the seuēth payed ones for hys
slee nor stele nor yet to beare false recorde To shewe what is synne and to seke the remedye Publyque peace to holde sore to pōnysh the gyltye From these good effectes se that Mā neuer swerue Than shall he be sure that God wyll hym preserue Christi lex The effect of me is for to loue the lorde In the innar sprete and to fauer frynde enmye And in all poyntes els with Gods wyll to accorde To preache remyssyon to saue and to iustyfye In Christ all to seke lyfe iustyce peace and mercye These heauenly effectes in Man so incorporate That he maye in sprete be newlye regenerate Fides Christiana More swete than honye are your thre exhortacyons And regestred they be in my momoryall Now wyll I forewarde to all the christen nacyons And sem effect these lawes obserued all To the abolyshment of the dreames papystycall Now the lyght is come the darkenesse dyeth awaye I trust in the lorde men wyll walke in the daye Good christen people to these thre lawes applye First knowe that ye haue a lyuynge God aboue Than do hym honour and hys name magnyfye Worshyp hym in spret as the Gospel yow doth moue Than obeye your kynge lyke as shall yow behoue For he in hys lyfe that lorde doth represent To sauegarde of the iust synners ponnyshment Se that ye regarde soch lawes as he doth make For they are of God as Salomon doth report Of these lawes doubtles those lawes their groundynges take To the publyque welth to geue ayde strēgth cōfort For preseruacyon of all the christen sort In no case folowe the wayes of Reygnolde Pole To hys dampnacyon he doubtles playeth the fole Saue a due respect vnto your contreye natyue Whych hath brought ye vp geuen ye norryshment Euen from your cradles to these dayes nutrytyue So that ye maye do to her welth and preferment My master to her no hatefull detryment A dogge to hys frynde wyll neuer be vnlouynge Lete reason in ye not lose hys naturall workynge Naturae lex Who lyueth without lawe shal perysh without lawe And ▪ therfor we haue thre lawes to yow descrybed That after their lyue ye shuld in your lyuynge drawe We ▪ haue also shewed how they haue bene corrupted By fowle Idolatres and sodomytes poluted By couetouse prestes and by ambycyouse prelates Hypocryticall fryres false doctours false curates Moseh lex Who hath restored these same thre lawes agayne But your late Iosias valeaūt kynge Henrye No prynce afore hym toke euer yet soch payne Frō Englāde to bānysh Idolatrye fowle sodomye Couetousnes Ambycyō false doctryne hypocresye It was he that brought Christes veryte to lyght Whan he put the pope with hys fylthynes to flyght Christi lex Frō dānable darkenesse as my bother here doth saye He hath delyuered thys realme of Englande godlye Bryngynge hys subiectes into the true path waye Of their sowles sauegarde if they now folowe it wyselye And left them he hath the same waye styl to fortyfye Hys noble sonne Edwarde soch a kynges of god elect As questyonles wyll perfourme it in effect Fides Christiana Praye all to the lorde for the longe contynuaunce Of hys graces lyfe in thys worldes habytacyon And that of hys nobles he haue true mayntenaunce In the pryncyples of thys most worthy foundacyon That he maye to Christ brynge vs from desolacyon Praye for quene Bateryne y e noble lorde protectour With the whole counsell that God be their directour Amen Into fyue personages maye the partes of thys Comedy be deuyded The Prolocutour Christen fayth Infydelyte The first The lawe of Nature Couetousnesse False doctryne The seconde The lawe of Moses Idolatrye Hypocresye The third The lawe of Christ. Ambycyon Sodomye The fourt Deus pater Vindicta Dei The fift The aparellynge of the six vyces of frutes of Infydelyte Lete Idolatry be decked lyke an olde wytche Sodomy lyke a monke of all sectes Ambycyon lyke a byshop Couetousnesse lyke a pharyse or spyrituall lawer false doctryne lyke a popysh doctour and hypocresy lyke a graye fryre The rest of the partes are easye ynough to coniecture A songe vpon Benedictus Compyled by Iohan Bale BEnedictus dominus Deus Israel Whych hath ouerthrowne the myghty Idoll Bel The false god of Rome by poure of the Gospell And hath prepared from the depe lake of hell Redemptionem plebis sue Et erexit cornu of mercy helth and grace That cruell tyraunt now clerely to deface Whose bloudy kyngedome demynysheth apace By the worde of God whych lately hath take place In domo Dauid pueri sui Sicut locutus est the lorde celestyall That Romysh Antichrist is lyke to haue a fall With hys whole table of sectes dyabolycall And now the nombre wyll florysh ouer all Prophetarum eius Salutem exinimicis now we maye dayly heare The enemyes of Christ with hym doth wytnesse beare Saul is become a paule and preacheth euery wheare Now maye we receyue most heauenly wholsom geare De manu eorum qui derunt nos Ad faciendam misericordiam The sonne of our God from hys hygh glory cam To redeme the synne of the chyldren of Adam And to remembre to faythfull Abraham Testamenti sui sancti Iusiurandum whych God hath made afore Vnto our fathers he wyll kepe euermore Promesed he hath if we regarde hys lore Forsakynge the pope with hys dampnable store Daturum se nobis Vt sine timore from Romysh tyrauntes fre The lorde graunt vs grace that we maye speakers be Of hys holy worde and therin to agre That in the Gospell and christen lyberte Seruiamus illi In sanctitate and purenesse of lyfe Lete vs now trauayle both mayden man and wyfe All ryghtwys doynges in vs be euer ryfe That we perseuer without debate or stryfe Omnibus diebus nostris To puer propheta elected of the lorde Kynge Edwarde the sixt to haue Gods lawe restorde Folowest Iosias therof to take recorde In all thy doynges and in Gods holy worde Parare vias eius Ad dandam scientiam for mennys helth sauegarde Christes holy Gospel by theis frelye hearde Wherin doth consyst their lyfe and full rewarde With preseruacyon from daungerouse icoparde Peccatorum eorum Per uiscera misericordiae Christ our dere master vs dayly ouerse Least we here perysh in our myquyte Our medyatour contynually is he Oriens exalto Illuminare swete lorde we the desyre To men in darkenesse and in the popysh myre Lete not hys baggage thy faythfull seruauntes tyre But vs delyuer from them and from hell fyre In uiam pacis Amen The commaundementes breuelye Loue thy lorde God Sweare thu non othe Thy sabbath kepe Please thy fryndes bothe Wytnes non yll Holde no mannys wyfe Brybe no mannys good Slee not with knyfe Wysh no mannys howse Nor oxe nor asse As thu wylt haue So thu lyke casse Thus endeth thys Comedy concernynge thre lawes of Nature Moses and Christ corrupted by the Sodomytes Pharisees papystes most wycked Compyled by Iohan Bale Anno M. D. XXXVIII and lately inprented per Nicolaum Bamburgensem
For thy wycked doynges thy ponyshmēt now doubled Ignis ip sū precedet the Prophete Dauid sayth thus Arque inflam mabit in circuitu inimicos eius A consumynge fyre shall ronne before the iudge Hys enemyes consumynge they shal fynde no refuge Ob scelera culpas hominum ritusque nephandos In cineres ibit tellus tenuemque fauillam As Mantuan writeth for the wyckednesse of the. The earth to ashes by fyre shall turned be Ignis flamma Infidelitatem locum exire coget Infidelitas Credo credo credo I saye Credo credo credo To the deuyll of helle by the Messe I wene I go Deus pater Exit As ye haue seane here how I haue strycken with fyre The pestylent vyce of Infydelyte So wyll I destroye in the fearcenesse of myne yre All sectes of errour with their enormyte Whych hath rysen out of that inyquyte For as it is sayd that my hande hath not sett Shall vp by the rote no power maye it lett The Apostle Iohan in the Apocalyps doth saye He sawe a newe heauen a newe earth aperynge The olde earth see were taken cleane a waye That heauē is mānys fayth that earth hys vnderstandynge Whom we haue renued by our most secret workynge The olde cancred earth exylynge with the see Whych is superstycyon and Infydelyte A newe Hierusalem the sayd Iohan also se As a bewtyfull bryde prepared to her husbande Our true faythfull churche is that same fayr cytie Whom we haue clensed by the power of our ryght hande As a spouse to Christ in euery christen lande Bannyshynge the sectes of Babylonicall poperye That she in the sprete maye walke to our glorye Resort ye thre lawes for yow wyll I clere also Of soch infeccyons as by Infydelyte Ye haue receyued That ye with her maye go Declarynge the wayes of Christen lyberte That vs she maye take without perplexite For her only God and be our people styll In our lawes walkynge accordyng to our wyll Omnes simul At your commaundement we are most blessed lorde Deus pater Approche nyghar than and ye shall be restorde Thu lawe of Nature we first begynne with the Restorynge the agayne to thy first puryte Auoyde Idolatrye Auoyde vyle Sodomye We charge ye no more thys lawe to putryfye Kepe styll that same hart for a sygne perpetuall That thu were written in mannys hart first of all Thu lawe of Moses geue me that vayle from the No longar shalt thu neyther blynde nor croked be Hens thu Ambycyon and cursed Couetousnes I here bannysh yow from thys lawe euer doughtles Lose not those tables whych are a token true That thu in the flesh shalt euermore contynue Thu lawe of the Gospell though thu be last of all In operacyon yet thu art the pryncypall From the I exyle hypocresy and false doctryne With all that depende vpon the papystycall lyne Reserue the same boke for a sygne of heauēly poure For that boke thu art that Iohan from heauen ded deuoure Naturae lex Euerlastynge prayse to thy gloryouse maieste Moseh lex Our heauēly gouernour great is thy gracyouse pytie Christi lex Of mankynde thu art the eternall felycyte Naturae lex Now leauest thy seruauntes in thy perpetuall peace To do the seruyce from hens wyll we not ceace Moseh lex For our eyes haue seane what thu hast now prepared For thy peoples helth whych hath bene here declared Christi lex A lyght thu hast sent whych is thy ioyouse Gospell To the consolacyon of the howse of Israel Naturae lex In reioyce of thys make we some melodye Moseh lex The name of our God to prayse and magnyfye Christi lex I assent therto and wyll synge very gladlye Hie ad Dei gloriam cantabunt In exitu Israel de Aegypto Velaliud simile Deus pater Now haue we destroyed the kyngedom of Babylon And throwne the great whore into the bottōlesse pyt Restorynge agayne the true fayth and relygyon In the christen churche as we haue thought it fyt Depurynge these lawes so to contynue y t. Man is our creature hath grace in our syght To dwell with hym now is our whole hartes delyght Man is our people hys God we are agayne With hym wyll we haue contynuall resydence Awaye wyll we wype from hym all sorowe payne He shall no longar dyspayre for hys offence Nor haue ī hys sowle any carefull doubt of conscyēce The olde popyshnesse is past whych was dāpnacyon We haue now renued our christen congregacyon Grande fourth christē fayth take our aduertysemēt We here appoynt the to gouerne our congregacyon Se thu do nothynge without the admonyshment Of these thre lawes here Enprent their declaracyon Of my swete promyses and than make thu relacyon To my folke agayne that they maye walke to me Without popysh dreames in a perfygt lyberte Fides Christiana Most heauenly maker in y t thu doest commaūde me Euermore wyll I full prompt and dylygent be Deus pater Thu lawe of Nature shalt teache man God to knowe And that to refuse wherby any yll maye growe Naturae lex From thys your precept shall I not varye I trowe Deus pater The ache thu hym also to worshyp one God aboue And hys poore neyber to prosecute with loue Moseh lex I hope blessed lorde to do as me shall behoue Deus pater And thu shalt teache hym to loue God in hys hart And those to forgeue by whom he suffereth smart Christi lex In your appoyntmentes wyll I do also my part Deus pater Worke thu in the hart a knowledge necessarye In the flesh worke thu by outwarde ceremonye Change thu to the spret the workynges of these two And cause our people in a perfyght waye to go Take hede christē fayth to the teachynges of these thre And moue our people to walke in the veryte The promyses we made in all these thre at Gospell We wolde thu shuldest so to our congregacyon tell Our euerlastynge blessynge be with yow euermore Omnes simul To thy swete name lorde prayse perpetuall honoure Fides Christiana It hath pleased God to put me in thys offyce To gouerne hys churche and christen congregacyon And therin to do as ye shall me entyce Geue me I praye yow soch wholsom exhortacyon As maye be to Man a clere edyfycacyon And I wyll be glad to take your aduertysement As it shall become any chylde obedyent Christi lex Ye speake it full wele thā marke what shall be sayed And dylygentlye loke that it be obeyed Naturae lex The effect of me is for to knowe the lorde Euerlastynge stronge most gracyouse and godlye And as touchynge Man to haue fraternall concorde Fauer to norrysh and to do non iniurye To kepe couenaūtes made and loue true matrymonye These noble effectes so temper yow in Man That them to fulfyll he do the best he can Moseh lex The effect of me is for to worshyp the lorde As one God alone and to fle from Idolatrye Nor to