Читать книгу A dialoge or communication of two persons - Erasmus Desiderius - Страница 3

Enedemus.

What new thynge ys it, that I se? doo I nat see Ogygyus my neybur, whom no mã could espie of all thes sex monthes before? yt was a sayng that he was deed, It is euen he, except that I be ferre deceyuyd. I wyll go to hym, & byd hym good morow. Good morow Ogygyus. Good morow to you Menedemus.

Signifieth to forsake.

was faynyd of an old kynge of Thebanes.

Mene. I pray you frome what contray do you come to vs ayen so saffe. For here was a great comunicacyõ that you dyd sayle streght to hell.

Ogy. No, thankyd be god, I haue faryd as well syns I went hens, as euer I dyd in all my lyffe.

Me. Well, a man may well perceyue that all soche rumours be but vanytye. But I pray you what araye is this that you be in, me thynke that you be clothyd with cokle schelles, and be ladê on euery syde with bruches of lead and tynne. And you be pretely garnyshyd w^t wrethes of strawe & your arme is full of snakes egges.

Signifyeth bedes. Malsyngam ys callyd parathalassia by cause it is ny to y^e see.

Ogy. I haue bene on pylgremage at saynt Iames in Compostella, & at my retourne I dyd more relygyously vysyte our lady of Walsyngã in England, a very holy pylgremage, but I dyd rather vysyte her. For I was ther before within this thre yere.

Me. I trowe, it was but for your pleasure.

Ogy. Nay, it was for pure deuocyon.

Me. I suppose you learnyd that relygyõ of the Grecyanes.

Ogy. My mother in law dyd make a vowe that if her dougther shuld be delyueryd of a man chyld alyue, than that I shuld go to saynt Iames on pylgremage, and ther to salute and thãke hym.

Me. Dyd you salute saynt Iames alonly in your name, and your mothers.

Ogy. No, in the name of all owre house.

Me. Verely I thynke y^t your howshold as well shold haue prosperd, in case you had not salutyd hym at all. But I pray you what answer dyd he make to your salutacyon.

Ogy. Nothynge at all. But whã I dyd offre, me tought he dyd lawghe vpon me, and becke at me with hedde, & dyd reche to me this cokleshell.

Me. Wherfore dothe he gyue rather suche schelles, than other thynges.

Ogygy. For the see, whiche is nye vnto hym dothe mynystre plenty of suche.

Me. O holy saynt Iames, that bothe is a mydwyffe to women with chyld, and also dothe helpe his pylgrymes. But I pray you what new kynd of makyng vowes is that that whan a mã is ydle he shall put the burden apon an other mannes bakke? In case that you doo bynd youre selffe with a vowe, that yf y^e matter chaunche happyly whiche you haue in hande, that I for you shall fast twyse in on weke, do you beleue y^t I can fulfyl youre vow?

Ogy. No, I doo not beleue it if that you dyd vowe it in youre awne name. It is but a sport with yow to mokke sayntes. But this was my mother in law, I must nedys obey her, you know womenes affectyones, & I must obaye heres.

Me. If that you had not perfourmyd your vowe, what iopertye had you be in?

Ogy. I graunt, he could not haue had an accyon ayenst me in y^e law, but he myght from hensforthe be deafe to my vowes, orels pryuyly send some calamytye or wretchednes amongste my housholde, yow know well enuffe the maneres of great men.

Me. Tell me now what that same honest mã saynt Iames dothe, and howe he farythe.

Ogy. Moche colder thã he was wontyd to do.

Me. What is the cause of it? His age?

Ogy. Oh you scoffer, yow know wel enoghe that sayntes wax nat olde. But this new learnynge, whiche runnythe all the world ouer now a dayes, dothe cause hym to be vysytyd moche lesse than he was wontyd to be, for if any doo come thay salute him alonly, but they offre lytle or nothinge, and say that theyr monaye may bettre be disposyd amongste pore people.

Me. O a wykyd comunicacyon.

Ogy. Ye & so great an Apostle whiche was wõtyd to stand all in precyous stones & gold, now stãdythe all of wodde hauynge before hym skaresly a wax candle.

Me. If it be trew that I here, it is great ioperdy lest that same chance to all the rest of the sayntes.

Ogy. I thynk it wel, for ther is an epistle abrode whiche our lady dyd wryte apon the same matter.

Me. What lady?

Ogy. She y^t hathe her name of a stone.

Our ladi of stone in Raurachia whiche is a certayne cuntre.

Me. I trawe it is in Raurachia.

Ogy. That same is it.

Me. yow tell me of a stony lady, But to whome dyd she wryte?

Ogy. The epistle dothe playnely shew his name.

Me. By whome was it sent?

Ogy. No dowbt but by an angell, whiche dyd lay the wrytynges apõ the aultre, wherof he prechythe to whome it was sent. And lest there shuld be any suspectyõ of crafty cõuayance in you, you shall se the epistle wryten w^t his owne hande.

Me. Do you know so well the hand of thangell whiche is secretary to our lady?

Ogy. Yee why nat?

Me. By what argumêt?

Ogy. I haue redde y^t Epithaphe of Bede which was grauyd of the angell: and the letteres agre in all thynges. I haue redde also y^e obligacyõ whiche was sent to saynt Gyles as dothe aper. Dothe not thes argumentes proue that mater to be good enoghe.

Is a scripture wryten on a graue.

Me. May a man loke apon them?

Ogy. ye and if you wyll swere to kepe it preuy.

Me. Oh you shall speake to a stone.

Ogy. Ther be stones now a dayes of that name very slawnderous, that wyll hyde nothynge.

Me. you shall speake to a domme man, & yow trust nat a stone.

Ogy. Apon y^e condycyon I wyll tell it, loke that you here with bothe youre eyares.

Me. So I doo.

Ogy.

Mary the mother of Iesu to Glaucoplutus sêdythe gretynge. Insomoche as you folowe Luther, you nobly perswade, that it is but in vayne to call apõ sayntes, do y^e well know for that to be grettly in my fauore. For vntyll thys day I haue almost be slayne w^t the importunate prayers of men. Of me alone they askyd althynges, as who shuld say my sone were alway a babe, because he is so faynyd and payntyd apõ my breste, that yet he wold be at my commaundemêt and durst nat denye my petycyon, dredynge that if he denye my petycyon, that I shuld denye hym my teate whan he is a thurst: and very oft thay requyre that of me, whiche a shamfast yongman dare scantly aske of a Bawde, yee they be suche thynges as I am ashamyd to put in wrytynge. Now comythe y^e marchauntman and he redy to sayle into Spayne for a vantage, dothe cõmytte hys wyues honesty to me. Than commythe thet lytle preaty Nunne and she castythe away her vayle redy to runne away, she leuythe with me the good name of her vyrgynytye, whiche shortly she entendythe to take monay for. Than cryeth the wykyd soudyer purposyd to robbe & saythe, blessyd lady send me a good praye. Now cõmythe the vnthryfty dyasser and cryethe, send me good chance Lady & thow shalt haue parte of my wynnynges: and if the dyasse runne ayenst hym, he blasphemes, and cursythe me, bycause I wyll nat fauor his noghtynes. Now cryeth she that sellythe her selffe for fylthye lukre & saythe, swete lady send me some costomers, & if I denye it, they exclame ayenst me & say, thou arte not the mother of marcy. Moreouer the vowes of some women be no lesse wykyd thã folishe. The mayd cryeth & saythe, O swet Mary send me a fayre and riche husbond. The maryed womã saythe send me goodly chylderen. Now laborythe the woman with chyld, and cryeth dere lady dylyuer me of my bondes. Than cõmythe y^e olde wyffe, and saythe flowre of all women send me to lyue longe withowt coghe and drynes. Now crepythe the the dotynge old man & saythe, lady send me for to wax yonge ayê. Thã cõmythe forth the phylosopher and cryethe send me some argumêtis that be îsoluble. The great prest cryeth send me a fat benefyce. Thã saythe the bysshope kepe well my churche. Thã cryethe y^ehye Iustyce shew me thy sone or I passe out of this worlde. Thã saythe y^e Cowrtyer send me trwe confession at the howre of my deathe. The husbondman saythe send vs temperate wether. The mylke wyffe cryethe owt blessyd lady saue our catell. Now if I denye anythynge by & by I am crwell. If I cõmytte it to my sone, I here them say, he wyll what so euer you wyll. Shall I than alone bothe a woman and a mayd helpe maryneres, sawdyeres, marchantmen, dyasseres, maryed mê, women with chyld, iudges, kynges, and husbondmen? ye and this that I haue sayd is the least parte of my payne. But I am nat now so moche trobled with soche busynes, for that I wold hartely thanke you, but that this commodytye dothe brynge a greater discõmodytye with hym. I haue now more ease, but lesse honor & profett. Before this tyme I was callyd quene of heuen, lady of the world, but now any man wyll skarsly say aue Maria or hayle Mary. Before I was clothyd with precyous stones and gold, and had my chaunges, and dayly ther was offeryd gold and precyous stones, now I am skarsly coueryd with halffe a gowne and that is all beeyten with mysse. My yerly rentes be now so smalle y^t I am skarsly able to fynde my pore quere kepar to light a wax cãdle before me. Yet all this myght be sufferyd, but you be abowt to pluke away greater thynges, you be abowt (as they say) that what so euer any saynte hathe in any place, to take hyt frome the churches, but take hede what you doo. For ther is no saynte without a way to reuêge his wronge. If you cast saynt Petre forthe of the churche, he may serue you of the same sauce, and shite vp heuyngates ayenst you. y^e saynt Paule hathe his sworde. Barthylmew is nat w^towt his great knyffe. Saynt Wyllyam is harnysyd vnder his monkes cloke, nat withowt a greate speare. What canst thou doo ayenst saynt George whiche is bothe a knyght & all armyd with hys longe spere and his fearfull sword? Nor saynt Antony is nat withowt hys weapenes for he hathe holy fyre w^t hym. Ye the rest of the sayntes haue theyr weapones or myschefues, whiche they send apon whome they liste. But as for me thou canst not cast owt, except thou cast owt my sone, whiche I hold in myne armes. I wyll nat be seperat frome hym, other thou shalt cast hym owt with me or els thou shalt let vs bothe be, except that you wold haue a temple withowt a Christe. These be the thynges that I wold yow shall know ymagyne you therfore what shal be your answer. For this thinge pleasythe me very well. Frome oure stony churche the calendes of Auguste, the yere frome my sonnes passyon a M. CCCCC. xiiii. I stony lady subscrybyd thys with myne owne hande.

The epistle of our Lady.

Glaucoplut⁹ desirus of ryches.

Me. Trewly that was a soro and fearfull epistle, I suppose that Glaucoplutus wyll beware frõ hêsforthe.