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
couenaunt and a lyuynge testament Hic pro signo datei nouum testamentum They that beleue it shall lyue foreuermore And they that do not wyll rue their folye sore Blessed shall he be that yow my lawes wyll kepe In cytie and felde whether he do worke or slepe Hys wyfe shall encreace hys land shall frutyfye And of hys enemyes he shall haue vyctorye The skye wyll geue rayne whaÌ„ seasonable tyme shall be The workes of hys haÌ„des shall haue prosperyte Cursed shall they be that wyll not our lawes fulfyll Without and within at market and at myll Of corne and cattell they shall haue non increase Within their owne howse shall sorowes neuer cease Neuer shall they be without byle botche or blayne The pestylence poxe wyll worke theÌ„ deadly payne Shewe thys vnto Man byd hym take good hede Of our ryghteousnesse to stande alwayes in drede We vysyte the synne and the great abhomynacyon â–ª Of the wycked sort to thirde and fort generacyon Thu lawe of Nature instruct hym first of all Thu lawe of Moses correct hym for hys fall And thu lawe of Christ geue hym a godly mynde Rayse hym vnto grace saue hym from the fynde Our heauenly blessynge be with yow euery chone Omnes simul All prayse and glory to your maieste alone Christi lex Here styll to tarry I thynke it be your mynde Naturae lex My offyce ye knowe is to instruct Mankynde Moseh lex Than God be with yow we leaue ye here behynde Finit Actus primus Incipit Actus secundus Naturae lex Exeunt THe lawe in effect is a teacher generall What is to be done what to be layed asyde But as touchynge me the first lawe naturall A knowledge I am whom God in Man doth hyde In hys whole workynge to be to hym a gyde To honour hys God and seke hys neybers helth A great occasyon of peace and publyque welth A sore charge I haue Mankynde to ouer se. And to instruct hym hys lorde God to obaye That lorde of heauen graunt I may so do my dewtie That he be pleased and Man brought to a staye Hys bryttle nature hys slyppernesse to waye Moch doth prouoke me But if God set to hande He shall do full wel For non maye hym withstande Infidelitas Brom brom brom brom brom Bye brom bye bye Bromes for shoes and powâ—hâ—rynges botes and buskyns for newe bromes Brom brom brom Marry God geue ye good euen And the holy man saynt Steuen Sende ye a good newe yeare I wolde haue brought ye the paxe Or els anymage of waxe If I had knowne ye heare I wyll my selfe so handle That ye shall haue a candle Whan I come hyther agayne At thys your soden mocyon I was in soch deuocyon I had nere broke a vayne Naturae lex That myght haue done ye smart Infidelitas No no it was but a fart For pastyme of my hart I wolde ye had it forsoth In serupp or in sowse But for noyaunce of the howse For easement of your toth Now haue I my dreame in dede God sende me wele to spede And swete saynt Antony I thought I shuld mete a knaue And now that fortune I haue Amonge thys cumpany Naturae lex Why dost thu call me knaue Infidelitas I sayd I wolde be your slaue Yf your grace wolde me haue â–ª And do your worke anon I wolde so rubbe your botes Therofe shuld from the rotes Whan ye shuld do them on Naturae lex Thu art dysposed to mocke Sone mayst thu haue a knocke If thu with me so game Infidelitas Your mouth shall kysse my docke Your tonge shall it vnlocke But I saye what is your name Naturae lex I am the lawe of Nature Infidelitas I thought so by your stature And by your auncyent gature Ye were of soch a rature Whan I first heard ye speke Ye commoned with God lately And now ye are hys bayly Mankynde to rule dyscretely Welcome syr huddy peke Naturae lex If thu vse soch vyllanye I shall dysplease the trulye Infidelitas By the masse I the defye With thy whole cuckoldrye And all that with the holde Naturae lex Why dost thu me blaspheme And so vngodly deme Infidelitas For by thys blessed boke I went ye had bene a coke And that made me so bolde For a coke ones hauynge age With â— face demure and sage And auncyent to beholde As yow haue here in place With a hearde vpon your face What is he but a coke olde Naturae lex Ye are dysposed to dallye To leape and ouersallye The compasse of your wytte I counsell ye yet in season Sumwhat to folowe reason And gnawe vpon the byrte Infidelitas Then after our great madnesse Lete vs fall to some sadnesse And tell me what ye in tende Naturae lex God sent me vnto Man To do the best I can To cause hym to amende Soche creatures as want reason My rules obye yche season And that in euery bondre The sunne and mone doth mone With the other bodyes aboue And neuer breake their ordre The trees and herbes doth growe The see doth ebbe and flowe And varyeth not a nayle The floudes and wholsom sprynges With other naturall thynges Their course do neuer fayle The beastes and byrdes engendre So do the fyshes tendre Accordynge to their kynde Alonlye man doth fall From good lawes naturall By a frowarde wycked mynde Infidelitas Now wyll I proue ye a lyar Next cosyne to a fryar And on the gall ye rubbe Ye saye thy folowe your lawe And varyee not a strawe Whych is a tale of a tubbe The sunne ones in the clyppes Awaye the clerenesse slyppes And darkened is the daye Of the planetee influence Aryseth the pestylence To manye ones decaye Doth not the see so rage That non can it aswage And swellowe in towne and streate The ayre whych geueth breathe Sumtyme infecteth to deathe By hys most pestylent heate The beastes oft vndemure Whych were left to mannys cure Wyll hym sumtyme deuoure Thus are your rules forgote As thynges of slendre note In creatures daye and houre Naturae lex It is the wyll of God To vse them as a rod Of hys iust ponnyshment Whan Man doth not regarde The lorde nor hys rewarde Nor to hys lawes consent They neuer are so ronnysh But when God doth Man ponnysh For hys vnhappynesse From God they neuer fall Nor from lawes naturall Doynge hys busynesse Infidelitas And yow are the same lawe That kepe them vndre awe By youy most polytyke wytt Naturae lex God hath appoynted me Mankynde to ouerse And in hys hart to sytt To teache hym for to knowe In the creatures hygh and lowe Hys gloryouse mageste And on hys name to call Or power celestyall In hys necessyte To thynke hym euerlastynge And wonderfull in workynge And that he createth all Both gouerne and conserue From them he neuer swerue That to soch fayth wyll fall Infidelitas In dede here is good sport But why do yow
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