their craft For poore men will Be begging still So long as ought is lafte But they wil spy A remedy For that you may be sure Saying they ought To giue them nought That do them no pleasure Thus yerely they Do fetch away The gaynes that doth arise By tenth increase Of mens riches After the largest sise But for to féede Such as haue néede These fellows take no thought But let them pike In euery dike All wéedes filthy and nought Thus they wander As shéepe that were Forsaken of their guide Feading themselfe With all such pelfe As growes in the field wide But out alas In how hard case Are they whose shepherdes are Of Gods preachers Become butchers Prouder than Lucifer The murren rot Is on their lot Their health is sore decayde No remedie They must néedes die Vnlesse God be their ayde Shepeherdes are dead And we are led Be them that flée vs fro When as they should Do what they could To saue vs from our foe Yea rather they Make vs obey Our aduersaries minde Bidding vs trust To be found iust By meanes that they do finde Thus they lapped in A shepeherdes skin Do say they wil vs féede With ghostly foode Holesome and good At all times when we néede But when these do Minister to Vs as they do but selde Their medicines are Such mixed ware As few sicke men haue felde There are also Some other mo Whose names I dare not tell Which beare them bolde For redy gold The flocke of Christ to sell These with Iudas Which damned was For selling Christ our hed Are like certaine In extreme paine To make their endlesse bedde Vnlesse by grace They do imbrace Gods worde and aske mercy For their sinne is No lesse than his Since they sell Christes body In like daunger Is the byer And all that condescende But chiefly they That should alway Such great abuse amende All kinges therfore Ought much the more To loke vpon their charge For all the land Lieth on their hand Be it neuer so large Let vs therfore Pray euermore That good K. Henries thought May be enclinde Such meanes to finde That Christes flocke be not bought But that we may Haue them alway To leade vs in and out That for our health To lose the wealth Of this worlde will not doubt Such doubtlesse will Walke to the hill Of gods word with their flock Going before Them euermore Like men of Dauids stock Then shall their shepe After them skippe In life worthy their name So that there shall Be nought at all In them worthy of blame For they shall heare His voyce so cleare And sée him go so bright Before their face That they may trace His foote both day and night No darkenesse can Trouble them than No cloud shal duske their sight They shall not stray Out of the way Bicause their guide is bright O ioyfull thing God graunt our king Grace to sée vs his flocke Ledde on this sorte For our comforte By guides of Dauids stocke Then shall we sing Prayse to our king And glory to the Lorde Of Israell With whose Gospell Our life should then accorde 4 IT followeth next Now in the Text Great earthquakes shal be séene Which shal cast downe Both tower and towne And great castels I wéene Now let vs sée Whether there bée In our dayes any towne Castell or tower That through the power Of the earthquake is downe But that we might Therin iudge right The causes must be knowen That do so make The earth to quake That townes are ouerthrowen In this we must Their iudgement trust That haue writ of the same Sith their writing Teacheth nothing That is worthy of blame All such men do Consent vnto This thing putting no doubt But vapours make The earth to shake When they séeke a way out In caues hollow These vapours grow To such a multitude That at the last They will out brast No strength can them include Then cast they downe Both tower and towne That is nigh to the place No maner wight May welde their might Nor looke for any grace What say we than If that in man These vapours may be found Should we looke for Then any more The shaking of the ground No that were vayne For then certayne We might looke for a beast Like to a Beare Which should appeare After saint Iohns beheast Nor drinke the pleasant drinke How should Vintners And Victulers Liue then as you do thinke God hath all sent For to be spent And not to whord in store Why should not than A Gentleman Eate it paying therfore Should a vile slaue So fine foode haue As one of noble blood Or should a king Lacke any thing That is dainty and good But let a king Marke well this thing And teach his nobles all That fine féeding Helpeth nothing To life celestiall And they that thinke Their meate and drinke Should passe others so farre Ought well to know That high and low Are made of one matter King Salomon Saith all is one A poore man and a king Are first gotten And then borne And differ yet nothing Then are they fed With milke and bread Both like both waile and wéepe A like both crie A like both lie A like both wake and sléepe The mighty King Is found nothing Better than the begger For by his birth He is but erth The best is no better All loose their strength By age at the length All die and fall to dust This thing to bée True ye may sée In their graues if you lust The noble blood Doth them no good Whē they rot in the ground Nor when they come To the last dome Where beggers shal be crounde Some king shall stand At the left hand And say when did we sée The Lord lacke ought And we haue nought Holpe thy necessitie But once for all To them Christ shall Say get you hence from me Downe into hel Where you must dwell For your iniquitie When ye denied To them that cried Asking helpe in my name Euen than was I In misery The scripture sayth the same So harde iudgement Toward them is bent That haue all thing plentie How harde they fare Taking no care That are in poueriie For riche men are They that should care For the poore impotent Both goodes and landes Are in their handes Which serue for that intent God gaue great power And like honour To some bicause they should Defend the rest Which are opprest With thirst hunger and cold Should they then make Reuell and take Their pleasure day and night Letting the poore Man lacke succour Whō they should ayde by right No they shall pay At the last day All that they haue mispent At cardes and dice And other vice And excesse of rayment Broches and ringes With other thinges Which are had in great price Helpeth nothing To good liuing But rather vnto vice For honestie Will alwayes bée Content with necessaries Then must excesse Be wickednesse For they are contraries Do you
babes he sheweth Princes Prelates All magistrates Could not destroy the pride Of Rome till that Poore men sparde not To speake till some were fride But at the last It was downe cast Within this realme ye know Both farre and nere And Abbayes were Supprest and brought ful low Bicause therin Was such foule sinne Vsed and such popery That some men thought The ground could not Sustaine their buggery Well when this was Thus come to passe Men praised God in our king Which by prudence And diligence Had brought to passe this thing They looked for To haue no more Poperie maintainde here Bicause within This realme was séene No Monke Chanon nor Frier But apes will be You may trust me Apes still though their clothing Were purple fine Nought can incline Them to leaue their mowing These pied goates Chaunged their coates Yet are their mindes the same That they were once Though for the nonce They do such popery blame Some weare miters And some gray furres And some haue cure of soules But their liuing Differeth nothing From thē that dranke in boules In Colledges You cannot misse To sée of them great store Where they apply Their buggery Euen as they did before Wherfore all ye That learned be And may do ought therin Do what ye may Both night and day To plucke vp this fowle sinne Else doubt ye not But the Lord that Burned the fiue cities And hath cast downe In field and towne The great and huge abbaies For that foule sinne Will soone beginne To make your place defart No fresh singing Nor gaye piping Shal make ought for your part Such as cannot Refraine from that Ought for to marry wiues No vowe can binde Such as can finde No meane to mende their liues In eche degrée Matrimonie And the bedde vndefiled Are holy thinges Though the shauelings Count maried men defiled God graunt we may Once sée the day Wherin we may be frée To leade our liues With honest wiues And preach Gods veritie For now he that Conteyneth not And hath the gift to preache Must either hide That gifte or bide Still burning like a wretche So that no man Vnlesse he can Obtayne of God the gifte Of chastitie May looke to bée A preacher by this drifte And doubtles this Were not amis If God would not require Increase of that Which man hath at His hande receiued here But sith God will Punishe them still That doth not occupie Their talentes than No Iustice can Deny them libertie Let no popery Therfore deny Christes membres to profet Eche other still After Gods will With such giftes as they get Let all men bée At libertie To preach if that they can An honest wife Hurteth not the life Of any godly man Most noble king Helpe in this thing And giue them libertie To preach that can Though a woman Do helpe their chastitie Then shall you sée The veritie Of gods word taught ful plainly By them that will Defend no ill To haue liuing therby But some will say That by this way Great schisme shall arise For the cleargie And the laitie Will preach two contraries Graunt that they do Yet of them two One shall not misse to speake The truth alway Where now men say To lye priestes do not reake Then should we bée In worsse degrée Say they than we be now For no man could Tell which he should Of these two sortes follow Yes yes be bolde It were soone tolde Which of them preacheth true For true preachers Are obseruers Of Gods cōmaundement new A newe precept For to be kept Saith Christ I giue you now That eche brother Loue an other Euen as I haue loued you For by that signe Such as are mine Shall be knowen to all men Faith cannot bée Where charitie Is not the graunde capteine That sorte that loue As is aboue Eche other faithfully And will betake Them to the stake Ere they wil ought deny Of that they preach That sorte doth teach The truth you may be sure These will not say Both yea and nay For any mans pleasure Yet once againe Such as disdaine That maried mē should preach Will say that then All maried men Will count eche priest a wretch What forceth that If priestes be not Of Christ but of Satan We may ordaine Mo priestes againe After the inwarde man None should regard Such as outwarde Signes do make priests onely But them whose life Is without strife And their doctrine godly Vnfainedly Such are worthy To haue double honour For that they are So full of care To helpe their christen brother Such men looke not For the crowne that Shall be taken them fro But to encrese Godly riches Is all thing that they do But now alas In how hard case Standeth this world this day When all Rulers And all Preachers Forsake this godly way Who would not bée Of high degrée This day what Prince or King Desireth not More rule than that Was his fathers leauing Their onely care Is for to fare Delicately eche day And to maintaine This they are faine To get all that they may Might is their law Wherby they draw All goodes into their handes And he that will Say they do ill Shal loose both goodes landes They thinke not that They were made at The first them to defend That haue no might To kéepe their right Nor their wrongs to amend For that intent Sufficient Landes was giuen to eche one Bicause he should Do what he could To saue the weale commone But now they be The more pitie So fonde of vaine honour That on the ground Scarce can be found Inough for their owne store Both more and lesse Study to passe Their forefathers degrée Thinking it shame To beare the name Of fruitfull pouertie Lordes must inclose Pastures medowes To holde in their owne handes And that the rent May kepe his stent They must improue their lands The merchant man Doth what he can To be Lord ouer townes Eche king is bent With full intent To subdue many crownes Alas the while They do begile Themselues now euery one Thinking that they Shall raigne alway Vpon the ground alone The day shall come When their kingdome Shall not be worth a straw Nor they themselfe With all their pelfe The value of an haw Their golde and all To duste will fall This is to manifest And they also Must after go Perchance when they thinke lest What folly then Is in these men To leaue Gods veritie And to apply So busily This worldly vanitie But I you pray Harke what I say And giue me eare a while I shall you shew At wordes few What doth these men begile They thinke God will Compte nothing ill That mans law iustifieth And that by might To claime their right With Gods worde agréeth To make the best Of most and lest Is lawfull for eche man They say and to Be bound to do For no man though they can To gather pelfe Eche for himselfe So they do no man wrong Is not
¶ The opening of the wordes of the Prophet Ioell in his second and third Chapters rehersed by Christ in Mathewe .xxiiij. Marke .xiij. Luke .xxj. and by Peter Actes .ij. concerning the Signes of the last day Compiled by Robert Crowley in the yeare of our Lord. M.D.XLVI And perused againe by the same ANNO 1566. POST TENEBRAS LVX ¶ IMPRINTED AT LONDON by Henry Bynneman for Iohn Charlewood dwelling in Barbican at the sygne of the halfe Eagle the Key ANNO. 1567. Signes and Tokens of the last day REpent repent I say repent Your misse it amende Christes prophecie Doth shew plainely This world shall shortly ende Darke is the sunne Bloud is the moone From heauen are fallen the stars Earthquakes are séene Pestilence famine Rumors tel nought but wars I do intend Small tyme to spend To proue these rumours true For at eche porte Where is resorte We heare them dayly new But I know well That the Gospell Meaneth some other thing By this warre then That mortall men Should be giuen to fighting For since men were Of such number That wars might be maintained Ech Emperie Hath sought glorie And hath the rest disdained But the wars that Christ saith shall at The last day be so great Are not the same Wherof the fame Of histories doth treate I dare be bolde This warre is holde With that swerd that Christ sent Among vs when He said all men From other should dissent I came saith he Not to giue ye Peace but to send a sword Among you all Wherwith you shall Fall at vtter discord The parents shall Make the childe thrall And the childe them againe To them shall bée Great ioy to sée Eche other of them slayne No maner kinne Shall auaile in That case no man shall misse To haue them that He kepeth at His charge his enimies Thus doth he say That men shall slay Eche other cruelly For this great fight Passeth the might Of our great chiualry Our men of might When they do fight Can neuer hurt the soule But these men quell Them into hell That Satan may them coule These men are they That vse alway To iudge such men holiest As they do sée On the earth to bée Counted as the highest Yea they do thinke That the poore stinke Before the face of God Bicause they sée That pouertie Is counted the Lordes rod. They do pretende For to dèfende The faith with might maine Wherfore all they That will say nay With the sword must be slaine This is their trade They will perswade Men that worldly wealthis The rewarde that Christ fayleth not To giue them that are his They say further Will Christ suffer His church to be trode downe No no they shall Raigne ouer all Both in citie and towne The wicked bée Faine for to flée From place to place eche day For feare of his Righteous iustice To this who dare say nay But thus say they We flée away From persecution And yet all we Know it to be Iust execution For they professe Christes faith no lesse That execute the thyng Than those men did That first preached The christian liuing How can they then Persecute men That professe Christ also Vnlesse they should Be found so bold To say both yea and no. But there be some In christendome That are malefactours And these will say We runne away From the persecutours When they halfe wood Flée from the good Shepherdes that will not sée The tender lambes Kilde and their dams That Christ bought on the trée All this they teach And to vs preach These things men must beleue Yea this may not Be sticked at To these things mē must cleue Alas the while How they begile The silly soules that can By this meanes know Little I trowe Of the faith christian For Christ saith that His secte shall not Shed bloud but shall suffer All tiranny And vilany And be no reuenger Wherfore I dare Say that the warre Wherof Christ prophecied When eche brother Should slay other Is euen now fulfilled For we may sée That now there bée Diuers opinions Diuers beleues Wherto men cleues In diuers regions And eche man will His brother kill Ghostly and then be glad As though he were Worthy to heare Great praise for works so bad One sort doth teach And to vs preache That works must make vs frée From mortall sinne That we are in If we will saued be For thus they say Michaell shall way Vs in his balaunce two Where shall be had Both good and bad Workes that we haue ydo If the better Be heauier Then shall we liue for aye But if our sinne The better winne Then are we like to paye They haue no eyes On gods mercies But on the equall waight For they say plaine They are certaine Gods iudgemēt shal be straight For Christ hath sayd We wyll be payd According to our workes Wherfore eche slaue Shall buffets haue That in his seruice lurkes And when they fynde One to their minde That will to them applie Then they reioyce With heart and voyce And shew him curtesie The other syde Can not abide To heare of workes at all For Gods mercie Say they shall bie All them frée that are thrall Christ shed his bloud Vpon the Roode For that intent onely We must graunt then All kindes of men Must nedes be saued thereby All murderers Aduouterers Theues robbers and ill men Shall by his bloude Shed on the Roode Of heauen be right certen Thus they say all And him they call A perfect christian That will apply To their foly And a right honest man Thus on eche side Both shoote to wide Of the pricke for the one Saith workes is all That saue the thrall The other wil haue none Of these eche man Doth what he can To kill his brothers soule Eche giueth his mynde Such for to fynde As will not him controle The middle sorte That doth exhorte All men to liue godly And to thinke that Their worke shall not Saue them but Gods mercy Are they that beare The burden here For both hate them to death Their whole intent Is to inuent Some way to stop their breath Thus eche brother Killeth other Some the flesh some the spirite So that I dare Call this the warre Wherof the Prophets write For since kings coulde As I haue tolde Haue men of warre to fight With wicked will They haue sought still To win much groūd by might ij AS for famine Such now is séene As erst hath not bene knowē Both poore and riche Perishe aliche No séede growes that is sowen By this I meane Ghostly famine For lacke of ghostly foode The heauenly fielde Lye doth vntilde And brings forth nothing good If any sowe They will not bowe But stiffely scatter séedes Setting no hand To tyll the land So nought growth vp but wéedes Yet in churches Gods worde lurches In chaines or in a cage But no man may Theron hand lay That hath none heritage Iames writeth this With God
come No sinne shall let Him for to eate So that he pay the summe But all that bée In pouertie And haue nothing to pay He will refuse As cursed Iewes That neglect Easter day Thus taketh hée As ye may sée Gods parte of all degrées To scoure his throte And furre his cote But God for colde shall fréese Perchaunce his kinne Shall somewhat winne If that they please him well But for most part Their tender hart Pitieth some faire damosell Few men haue séene Grace to them giuen Their tithes well to bestow That haue bene bolde Into the folde To climbe by the window For their pretence Is to get pence To spend at their owne will They take no héede The flocke to féede But let them famishe still Wherfore all ye That fathers be Instruct your babes in youth That they may flie All Simonie And follow the Lordes truth Although children Do Gods law learne Euen from their mothers laps Let none be stalde Til they be calde For feare of afterclaps For if the childe Wanton and wilde Passe not vpon his shéepe For them that stray He must nedes pay That gaue them him to kéepe But tell me than Thou folishe man Who shal thy cause defende When thou shalt stand At the left hand With Satan for to wend. Thy men of law Thou foolish daw Whom thou hast in a fée Dare shew no face Within that place To speake one word for thée For they haue more To answere for Than they can wel aweld Their conscience shall Accuse them all For that they haue misse meld They that for golde To thée haue solde Writings of presentation May looke to dwell With thée in hell Among the wicked nation Bishops also That bad thée go The rope in hand to take Are like to fall Depest of all Into the fiery lake For they are set Treason to let As watchmen on the wall Which when they spie The enimie Should on their fellowes call But if the watch Of treason smatch And helpe the wall to scale Into prison They must be done No man may be their bale No tirannie Can make them lie In paines worthy their faute That from the towne Set ladders downe To them that giue the saute Then may we gesse In what distresse Such leude bishops shall stand When Christ shal come At the last dome By fire to iudge the land For such as would Into the folde To fill their gréedie mawes Bishops haue stalde And made them calde True preachers of gods lawes But now they vse Them to excuse As they were yong Pilates Saying that they Must néedes obey The temporall magistrates Wherfore if they Present a boy A verlet or a loute Them to admit What néedeth it Bishops to stand in dowte The patrone shall Answere for all Bishops shall beare no blame So they fulfill The patrones will And subscribe to the same They must therfore Loke for no more Then the patrons owne seale Which from all charge Setteth then at large Patrons with God must deale So that they may Auoide alway The daunger of the law What forceth it Though they admit Such as they neuer saw A yong princockes Sir Iohn smelsmockes A piece of flesh alone To sing and daunce And make pastaunce With Tib Cisly and Ione A gamester wise In cardes and dyce And all games of the same A cockrel rancke Fit for the bancke A ruffian past all shame A swearer good By bones and blood And many othes moe Ready to fight Both day and night Where he shall ride or go One that is wonte To hawke and hunte And kéepe a brace of houndes A steward stout To ride about To sée his maisters groundes An hurly burle A farting churle An whorder vp of grotes A cruell wretch That doth not retch To hang men by the throtes A lobbe a loute A malmesey snoute A drousie dronken face A belly swaine A féeble braine One voide of all Gods grace The bishop must The patron trust That gaue the presentation Although he sée The suiter bée Of diuelish conuersation For if they should Be found so bolde To checke my lordes chaplen Thinke you they might Fynde it so light To promote their kinsmen No no my frende Lordes wil not bende And priestes will not displease They thinke it best To liue in rest That riches may increase So Lordes may haue All that they craue For priests that do them serue Tithe lambe and wooll Great houses full But pouertie shall sterue To féede the shepe Or house to kepe Such priestes do not intend But when they looke Their counting booke Then for their rents they send The patrone will Be Farmer still If that he may ought winne Or else some knaue Shall the gaines haue That is of the priestes kinne Some priest hath two Some thrée some moe Some sixe or seuen I trowe Beside odde endes Called Prebendes With Canonries ye knowe Fiue hundred pound And Curates found Some one receiueth clere That in housholde I dare be bolde Spendeth not ten pound a yere Some other spende By the yeres ende A thousand pound and more But such I trowe Will not bestowe Ten pound vpon the pore They bid to feastes Such maner gestes As wil bid them againe They thinke great shame That blinde and lame Should to their court retaine Yet with their scraps Sometime perhaps They stuffe a beggers bagge Their dogge shal eate Much better meate Whiles the his taile will wagge In garments gay They must aray Their seruantes rufflingly And they themselfe May weare no pelfe To make them vnpriestly Their horses shall Be good and tall To rid the way at néede For when thinges fall He must haue all That can make the best spéede To their estate Cupbordes of plate You know are necessarie For noble men Vse now and then With such prelates to tary They must haue wine And that full fine They must spare for no cost If they lacke ought That may be bought Their worship is nere lost Short tale to make They must nought lacke Fit for a noble man Rather they will Both polle and pill And take all that they can But that they might Do this by right A law they haue procured That such may haue Whiles they do craue That are to Lordes assured Chaplaines I meane To King and Quene And other Lordes great For a small summe Doth not become One of so high estate This law hath made Some priestes glad To cap and knée full lowe And to promise Faithfull seruice To them they do not knowe Some past all shame Obtaine the name By their importune sute Of kinges chaplens And other mens Whose power is absolute These will all take And nought forsake With mo bagges to the mill Lay on their backe Till it do cracke And yet they will beg still These tonglesse dogges With heauy clogges Can nother bite nor barke Neither espie The enimie Their kennels are so darke When they lacke pence None residence Must helpe or all is loste For one