is you and not we that lend them Glasses Ribands Laces with Cappe and Fethers and Calles for their faces You suffer you Daughters to be May-ladies so long that shortly after you finde their Laces to short And then arrant Whore out of my doores when it is too late But all the while my Lady hath a Veluet Cap on her head a braue borrowed Gowne on her backe and a Nosegay in her hand You be as merry as Pyes though the name of God be blasphemed the Sabaoth prophaned the Minister contemned your Daughter defiled All is well so long as the Ale lasteth Ro. Haue you seene any of our Daughters in that case Cath. Did you euer see a Nose in a mans Face Madam Make-peace How now Neighbours still iarring haue you not yet eased your stomacks Sal. Now there is a third Woman come that is Madam Make-peace Maddam Truly this is not well Christian Woemen should striue to excell in sobrietie modestie and mildenesse of spirit and not in nipping and quipping and loudnesse of tongue If you should is contend and brawle with your Husbands as you vs one with an other then in Salomons iudgement It were better for them to dwell in the wildernesse Pro. 21.19.12.13.21.9 or to stand in a house that is euer dropping on their heads then to dwell with you I pray you agree for shame agree Cath Why Maddam What would you haue me to doe I haue heard Midwiues bid some Women put on the loose Kerchiefe and it be but to honour God and our Lady you know that it is no part of Gods honour he is not honored with Cloutes he is to be worshiped in Spirit and trueth And the best honour that we can giue to the blessed Virgin the mother of our Sauiour is to follow her vertues Mistresse Romana which neuer commeth to Church herselfe is euer snuffing at me because I frame not myselfe to please her humour she is euer stumbling at Strawes and leaping ouer Blockes Ro. If I stumble but at Strawes I shall not hurt my Toes if I leape ouer Blocks I shall not breake my shinnes Cath. You know my meaning You catch at our Moates and winke at your owne Beames Ro. I pray you Madam Make-peace marke their Moates when others be merry they must be mourning when we fast then they feast when they ly-in there must be no white-sheete for feare of superstition their Husbands holy day Cloake will serue the tourne well enough If we goe to Church vayled they aske vs if we be ashamed of that we haue done forgetting that some of their humour will wash Buckes eare their Child be Christned If any woman follow her that is Churched then they say our Lady must haue her traine If there be a Psalme read as they say your Ministers do read ouer when a woman is Churched then forsooth the Psalme is abused If the woman make her neighbours a dinner they say it pincheth the poorer sort Moris-dauncers be Rogues if they goe to the next Towne Christmas-pies be superstitious in the cold winter when your neighbours lacking foode should be refreshed and wanting Wood should be warmed Then vp to London if not to saue charges or for some other cause I know not what Thus you see their Moates and Beames Cath. It were well if these were your Beames Kerchiefe White-sheete Churching Dinner Morris-belles Christmas-pies Feastings and warmings of the Poore There be other matters that I call Beames you Whitson-lady some of her Maides were dismayded your Morris-dauncers and their followers prophane the Sabaoth they haue misused such Ministers as haue reprooued their vices by cutting off their Horse tayles breaking their Windowes plucking vp their Orchard Plants They poure in as much drinke in one day as would suffice a temperate man tenne daies Looke where is most misrule there with you is the best Christmas kept If some of you could cutt the throates of all that fauour not your customes then they would keepe a merry Christmas then sweare stare and a poxe of all Puritanes I will stirre your powder-plots because the more they be stirred the more they will stinke yea they will stinke in the nostrills of all such as follow Saint Peters counsaile Feare God Honour the King while Sunne and Moone endureth It is not your Keir-cheife Belles and Pies that I stand so much vpon It greeueth me to see how carefull you be for such matters and how carelesse in comming to Church in sending your Children to be Catachised in hauing an eye to them in their meryments in exhorting them to take heed of going foorth with Dina to see faces and fashions and to behaue themselues honestly and soberly in all companies and to come home in due time My Neighbours going to thankes giuing with fewe or many shall not offend me so that you controule not me for going as I thinke good And whereas you haue so often tolde me of our washing of Buckes and comming so soone into the street it may be some poore bodie wanting helpe is driuen to do that which is neyther healthfull nor seemly but you haue no reason to charge all of vs with that which is done by some fewe and that vpon necessity But touching these and such like matters let Madam Make-peace iudge what is best to be donne Ro. Content but first heere me a word or two As you would not haue me charge all precise women with that which is donne by some of the poorer sort so I hope you will not charge all of vs that haue beene brought vp in Poperie with those powder-plots you speake of God forbid we should all haue such murdering minds Cath. If you haue not it is the better for you but I pray you Madam speake your minde Mad. My comming hether was to make you friends but your iarres be so great and my braines so weake that I doubt I shall need helpe therefore I will goe home now and to morrow if God lende life I will bring our Minister with me Ro. Whome do you meane Maister Guide-well Mad. So indeede I haue heard you haue vsed to call not only him but all other of his profession for you thinke none doe well but Seminaries and Iesuits Ro. When you come bring Dame Cathara with you and you shall finde me and a Kinsman of mine walking in my Garden Salt Sith they be gone let vs depart also Chap. Shall I haue none of your Salt for these Women Sal. If the Minister and Madam Make-peace can doe them no good I know not what to say to them and so fare you well Chap. And you also Now retourneth Madam Make-peace with the Minister and Cathara Mad. God be heere and peace Ro. You are welcome Mad. I haue brought him whome you call Maister Guide-well with me Ro. I would you had brought Maister Doe-well also Mad. He commeth limping after he is not so quick-footed you know as Maister Guide-well Ro. I would he were and my Cousen here as quicke-tongued
name giuen vnder Heauen Act 4.12 whereby we might be saued Awake yet at last and shake off your blindnes and frowardnesse least you bring both your selfe your Children to confusion they think they do wel in obeying you but that can not be vnlesse you obey the Lord and bid them do that which he aloweth you laugh at such counsaile as this because you take your selues to be wise indeed as it should seeme you are wise some of you to plotte mischieuous matters and to keepe it very close but such are not wise to do good this is no sanctified wisedome it is foolishnesse yea a damnable wickednesse in the sight of God Rom. All your talke is to me Madam you say nothing to Cathara the Puritaine Mad. Though she be precise in some points yet she prayeth for the King Queene and Prince she giueth good care to the Teacher she commeth to the communion and I am perswaded there is not any one in the land of those whom you call Puritances which wish so many of you as will not conuert gon with bagge and baggage which in defence of the Ghospell and his Maiestie would not loose each drop of his bloud though some on the Stage haue deryded them Eastward hoe saying their smooth skins will make the best Vellam Rom. Did you see that Play plaide Mad. No but I haue heard of it Guid. Mistresse Romana you call your Neighbour Puritan do you know who were the auntient puritanes Ro. Though I doe not my Couzen doth Tell them Couzen. Tract Saint Augustine in his Booke of Heresies to one called Quod vult Deus which in our tongue is as much to say as What God will rehearseth some 88. heresies whereof the 38. was the heresie of those who are there called Cathoroi which we may English Puritans Guid. Will you call all those Puritans which are any where called Cathoroi Tract If I did what then Guid. Then you must call Saint Paule Puritan and those whom he calleth Cleane Puritans Tract Why so Guid. In the twentith of the Acts where Saint Paule sayth I am cleane from the bloud of all The Greeke word which he vseth is Catharos and when he saith All things are cleane to the cleane He vseth the word Cathara and Catharois Yet I hope you will not picture him a Puritane Tract The Catharoi named by Saint Augustine tooke to themselues that name Superbissune atque odiosissime Aâ—g de here sibus ad quod vult deum her 38. most proudly and most odiously as it were for some cleanenes they admitted no second marriage they deny repentance following the Heretike Nouatus c. Rom. I know not what those heere in England hold in other matters but sure I am that some of them that are so called hauing buried their first Wiues haue beene married againe and therefore they are not Puritans in that point Guid. Of all generations that deserue the name of Puritans they most deserue it of whome Salomon speaketh Pro. 30.12 saying There is a Generation that are pure in their owne conceit and yet are not washed from their filthinesse I trust you Neighbour Christianus be none of those yet I meruaile why touching this publique testimonie of thankefullnes you will not obey the order appointed and so keepe your selfe from trotting to the three weekes Court to pay fees You know or should know that a woman after Childe-birth when she first goeth to Church should kneele in some conuenient place neere to the Communion-table if there be a Communion otherwise they vse to kneele neere to the Ministers seate who is to exhort her to giue hearty thanks to God and pray and to the end she should acknowledge helpe to come from God who is able yea and doth when it pleaseth him defend his from all euill which is ment as it seemeth by these words The Sunne shall not burne thee by day c. he is apointed to reade the hundred twenty and one Psalme not that any should thinke it was appointed to be read in time of the Lawe when women offered eyther a Lambe or two young Pigeons Leuit 12. on the day of their purification for that Psalme was made long after such purifiyng began but to teach women which were wont to call on the Virgin that the same God which kept Dauid his company in time of warre both day and night in heate and cold is able to preserue them Also as I saide for shall we thinke that he which layeth a burthen vpon a mans backe is not hable to take it off The same God that saide to the Woman I will greatly increase thy sorrowes and thy conceptions Gen. 3.16 in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children c. preserued the same woman and thousands more in their trauell none of all them euer calling on the blessed Virgiue for help or desiring her to pray to God to help them yea Dauid saith to God Thou art he that tooke me out of my mothers wombe Rom. How know you that none of them called on our Lady Giud Because thousands of theÌ„ brought forth ere she did beare Christ Rom. Is that true cozen Tract Yes Rom. But did not Dauid make that Psalme to assure woemen that are purified or Churched that the Sunne shall not burne by day nor the Moone with her coldnesse hurt them by night Tract If woemen were Churched by Moone-shine it might séeme probable Aug. in Epis Ioan. tract 1. that it was made for them chiefly but none are Churched in the night time so farre as I know S. Augustine touching the burning of the Sun c. saith if thou hold charity thou shalt suffer no scandale in Christ nor in his Church nor forsake Christ nor his Church Rom. On then M. Guide-well Guid. After the Psalme and the Lords prayer there be certaine prayers for the woman the God would saue her bee vnto her a strong tower from the face of her enimy and the through Gods help she may both faithfully liue and walke in her vocation in this life present and also may bee partaker of euerlasting glory in the life to come through Iesus Christ our Lord. Cath. I do acknowledge that it is the part not of women onely but of all other to giue God hearty thankes when hee hath deliuered them out of any danger trouble or whatsoeuer was grieuous vnto them if a learned and godly Minister which conformed not himselfe to some order set downe touching the wearing of some apparell c. that is much esteemed and in a manner religiously regarded by the Romish Salt-peter-men should bee put from his Ministery and maintenance and at last finde such fauour at the hands of the higher powers as to bee restored againe which were much to bee wished such a Minister with his flock had good cause to be thankfull In like manner if a Marchant returne safe from the seas a Souldier from warres a sicke man from deathes doore all
so afterwards and not as being Byshop when Christ rose If he were what was Peter but whosoeuer they meane by that Byshop I see no cause why I should not beleeue Saint Iohn before all those that write of any such giuing of the Shroud Rom. Why what saith he Guid. Hee saith that the other Disciple meaning himselfe did out-run Peter Ioh. 20.4.5.6 and came first to the Sepulcher and stooping downe saw the linnen cloathes lye and the kerchieffe that was about his head not lying with the linnen clothes but wrapped together in a place by it selfe and what linnen cloathes were these were they not the same wherein Ioseph of Arimathea Ioh. 19.38.39.40 and Nicodemus wrapped his body If you will say Iesus returned to fetch them you make him forgetfull and like a traueller who hauing left his cloake in his chamber after he hath gone a little way missing it returneth to fetch it What thinke you of this Maister Tractable doth that tale of giuing his Shroud to the Byshops man agree with that which Saint Iohn saith of himselfe and Peter finding the linnen cloathes in the Sepulcher Tract There seemeth to bee some iarre in these two Stories but what haue you else to say of it Guid. This. If you will haue it taken for a true Story theÌ„ our Sauiour said not bring an Altar but bring the Table which if hee did what should moue Maister Harding in his Confutation to call our Communion Table an oister-boord Againe if the Lord bid him eate bread after hee had blessed it why doe you say the substance of bread is gone after the blessing Moreouer if Saint Iames dranke wine at our Lords Supper why do you say it is bloud Why doe you deny that Christ by a figuratiue speech called it his bloud Aug de Eecl dogm ca 75. Verily Saint Austin saith Vinum fuit in redemptionis nostrae mysterio there was wine in the mystery of our redemption Rom. If my cozen list to acquaint himselfe with your opinion in this hee may at his leasure if hee thinke good reade that which your side haue written thereof at large for I haue not read their bookes yet some of my friends haue named some of your Writers vnto me I for my part if my cozen would not frowne vpon mee would gladly heare one more of these Stories which you make so light of Guid. I thinke you had rather heare one of these then tenne Sermons Rom. You may be sure of that Guid. Seeing you are desirous to haue one more you shall to the end you may see with what fictions called by some narrations the Fryers did vse to feede withall The words as I finde be these THere was saith one of them a woman that was deuoute in our Lady seruice and many times for our Lady sake and loue that shee had to her gaue away her best cloathes and w ent in the worst her selfe So it happed on a Candlemasse day she would faine haue gone to the Church but for she was not honestly arrayed she durst not for shame for shee had done away all her best cloathes Then was she forry shee should be without Masse that day wherefore shee went into a Chappell that was nigh her place and there she was in her prayers and as she prayed she fell a sleepe and then she thought shee was in a faire Church and saw a great company of maidens comming to the Church and one was passing all other for faire and went to fore with a crowne on her head and she kneeled downe and all the other by her Then comes there one with a great burthen of Candles and first he gaue the maiden a candle that had the crowne on her head and so after all the other maidens that were in the Church and then hee came to this woman and gaue her a candle Then â—was shee glad and then shee saw a Priest and two Deacons with two Serges brenning in their hands going towards the Altar reuershed to go to Masse And as shee thought Christ was the Priest and the two Deacons was Laurence and Vincent that beare the Serges and two yong men beganne the Masse with a solemne note Then when the Gospell was read the Queene of heauen offered her candle first of all to the Priest and then all other after her and when all had offered the Priest abode after this woman to come and offer her candle Then the Queene sent after her and bad shee should come the Priest abideth her and the messenger bad her come and shee said nay shee would not leaue her candle but keepe it for a great deuotion Then sent the Queene another messenger and bad him say to her that shee was vncourteous for to tarry the Priest so long and said but she would come with a good will and offer it take it from her and yet shee said nay then would the messenger haue taken it from but shee held it fast so betwixt them two the Serge brake in the middst and halfe the messenger had halfe the woman had with her and so in this wrestling this woman woke out of her sleepe and had halfe the Serge in her hand and then shee thanked God and our Lady heartely that she was not without a Gospell that day and offered her candle to holy Church Et pro maximis reliquijs reseruatur it is reserued for a great relique And thus you haue the whole fable in the same words that I found it set forth withall Rom. Call it a fable or what you list If I had that péece of candle I would burne some of it euery Candlemasse day so long as it lasted Guid. Would you wish for such a substantiall Relique as was giuen in a dreame what if your Church could not spare it but if you had it to what end would you burne it that day Rom. In the honour of our Lady who offered her candle the same day she was purified Guid. Who told you so Rom. Do not you heare that the woman did dreame that the Quéene of heauen did offer her candle first Guid. It is a weake building Mistris Ro. that is built on a drowsy dreame Rom. I hope you reiect not all dreames Ioseph the sonne of Iacob dreamed so did another Ioseph long after him I meane the Ioseph to whom the blessed Virgin was espoused Guid. These dreames are found in the Canonicall Scriptures and the things that appeared or were foretold in those dreames comming to passe and nothing required in them contrary to the word do warrant vs that they were not illusions nor rose of any naturall cause c. but at the will and pleasure of God Rom. So might this Womans dreame come from the same cause Guid. Did you euer heare of any that dreamed they were eating drinking fighting riding c. that when they awaked found in their hands bread drinke a weapon a boote or any such matter vnlesse they had it in their hands when
they fell on sleepe or rose vp and tooke it But to let this goe I wonder you or any other should be so fond to thinke that the blessed Virgin enioying the true light is honoured with lights of mans making she requireth no such honour The Angell bad Iohn worship God and our Sauiour sayth not that he is worshipped with setting vp of Candles but in spirit and trueth that is with a true Spirituall worship In a word we are not bid to make lights for God or the Virgin but while we haue light to beleeue in the light But I pray you tell me do you know how this carrying of Candles on that day came vp first Ro. No not I it may be my Cozen Tractable doth If you doe Couzen I pray let vs heare it Trac I am wearie now with sitting here so long If this company will come againe to morrow you shall heare what I haue read of it Guid. If it please you Madam let vs returne to morrow Mad. If it please God I will not so much to heare this as some other talke that you may fall into Mad. Howe where be you Rom. Who is there Mad. Here is a Fryer Rom. You are welcome Mad. Why because I come in the name of a Fryer I thinke the answere here is a Fryer so much vsed of those that knock at mens dores did rise of this that of all other men Fryers were most welcome in times past Guid. I thinke they were as welcome then as those which call themselues Iesuits haue of late been welcom to Recusants but I see no reason why they should be so welcome now seeing it is very likely they haue had a strong hand in this monstrous intended murder whereby some of their Schollers are fallen into the pit they made for others Their plot was by powder and powder to put them in minde of their sinne and to forewarne them of their fall as it is said scarred some of them in drying of it And as Senacherib was slaine by his owne sonnes so these by their owne plots wrought their owne woe When there is some speciall matter to bee noted the holy Ghost to the end of certaine verses addeth this word Selah the which word some Hebrew readers say is as much as O rem notatu dignam eleuetur hic vox O matter worthy to bee noted let the voyce be lifted vp here This word is vsed thrise in the 140 Psalm They haue sharpened their tongues like a Serpent Adders poyson is vnder their lippes Selah The proud haue laid a snare for mee and spred a not with cords in my path way and set grins for me Selah Let not the wicked haue his desire ô Lord performe not his wicked thought least hee be proud Selah Blessed bee God which hath deliuered our King and many others out of cruell Faux his bloudy iaw not suffering him to performe that wicked thought but marred all his mischeuous matches Mad. Amen Amen Truly mistresse Romana me thinkes if there were nothing else to draw you from your Popish superstition that same inherent cruelty which is in those that fauour it against such as will not play with puppets as they themselues do might driue you out of that bloudy Babylon and cause you to ioyne with such as embrace the glorious Gospell of Iesus Christ sincerely Tract You would haue my cozen and me to go from the Catholicks Was not S. Austin a Catholicke and were not all those against whom he wrote Heretickes Guid. What if it were so can you proue that we hold any opinions that S. Austin sodainly confuted by the Scriptures do you not know that the summe of the auncient Catholicke faith so much as is needfull to saluation is contained in that Creed Quicunque vult c. Whosoeuer will bee saued c. and that this Creed is read oft-times in our parish Churches yearely Rom. Come cozen come let vs sit down I pray you and tell vs how Candlemasse day came vp for that was your promise yesternight Tract Iacobus Passanantius in his additions to the Commentaries of Thomas Valois and Nicholas Treuet on the sixth booke of S Austin de Ciuitate Dei cap. 7. Guid. Stay a little Tell mee the first word and the last of that Chapter that I may know whether you haue read it your selfe or had it at the second hand Tract Doth euery one that readeth a Chapter remember at all times the first and last word of it I promise you I doe not yet I remember the first word of that Chapter is Reuocatur and the last Obscoenitas Rom. On Cozen this is but to trouble your tale This Iacobus sheweth out of Ouid that after Pluto the God of Hell beeing wounded with that dart which had the golden point had by violence taken away Proserpina the daughter of the Goddesse Ceres and placing her with him in his blacke Chariot had brought her to Hell and made her Queene of the same Her mother Ceres who could not stay Pluto with her out-cryes and piteous moane sought her Daughter euery where day and night with lights and fire-brandes which shee had in Mount Etna By occasion of this Fable faith he there sprang vp superstition in Rome For the women there representing this taking away of Proserpina by force and Ceres seeking her with lights in the Kalends of February which moneth was said to bee consecrated to the God of Hell Pluto which by another name was called Februus from whom the moneth was called February went about with lights ouer Hilles and Vallyes with Ceres seeking Proserpina Now to take away this superstition obserued in the Honour of the Queene of Hell the Church appoynted that in honour of the Queene of Heauen the second day of February to wit on the feast of the Purification the Faithfull people should carry in their handes lighted Candles And hence it is saith hee that that day is called Candelaria We call it Candlemas Guid. And so one superstition gaue place to another Cath. I perceiue this custome or tradition or whatsoeuer you call it is nobly descended and of a very auncient House Her Grand-mother was the Lady Fable her mother was a great Lady in Rome called Madame Superstition who was very fruitfull She hath brought forth many Sonnes and many Daughters many Nephews and many Neeces which yeerely after sheep-shearing giue her many golden fleeces Rom. Alacke for you are you come in with your néeces and fléeces all is but fables with you Tract I thinke in a while they will say as one sayd O quantum nobis profuit illa Fabula dech See the defence of the Apol pag. 273. printed 1570 Guid. Stay betimes Maister Tractable least you marre all for that is no speech of ours but a lesson that one of your late Popes as it is reported taught his Cardinalls Tract Whosoeuer taught it it was a wicked lesson for it was a naughty speech and sauoured of impietie Guid. You cannot for shame