❧ A Goodly Dialogue between Knowledge and simplicity. IMPRINTED at London, by Anthony Scoloker And William Seres. dwelling without Aldersgate. Cum Bratia et privilegio ad Imprimen●um s●lum● Knowledge GOd save you my friend simplicity I am glad of your good welfare Ye are right welcome unto the City simplicity is a stranger in a city. For here ye are a stranger very rare ● know the cause of your hither repair It draweth now toward the term Ye have some matters for to declare And what they be fain would I learn. Siplicité I thank you knowledge of your good will And of your kindness without desert, But I came hither for no such skill, Siplicité is sorry that ever he can in ye●●é, it is so full of naughtiness. As y● have uttered upon your part But this I thought with all mine heart When I same hither unto the term 〈◊〉 God I had suffered at home great smact● Your fations be so strange to learn. Knowledge I pray you sir what is your grief Hath any man here you offended? Knowledge desireth to 〈◊〉 own his grief & promiseth to help him. Show it shortly in words brief And if I can I will see it amended Your cause by me shall be defended I will be with you all th● term 〈◊〉 counsel towards you shallbe bended Your symp●enes to teach and learn. Siplicité Marry Spr offended I am in deed And that in conscience right grievously I pray God it shortly be remedied Siplicité thinketh that London will sink, for sin That London sink not much marvel I, For here is nought 'tis but heresy Blasphemy and slander all out of frame That one man affirmeth an other doth deny Against the honour of God's holy name. Knowledge. Ah Sir I know the cause well enough then Of your great grief in your conscience And I am right glad, for above all men I have much desired to have your presence Content you, and shortly ye shall have intelligence Though as yet for a time, sonthing be out of frame At length amongst us shall be no difference Concerning the honour of God's holy name. simplicity. Friend Knowledge, that is a thing impossible The Bible is cause of controversy. Ofer custom is blamed. That everin one we should agree So long as we have this beble bible Nay Nay Knowledge, that will not be Do ye not hear and dailies see How men old custom despise and blame? which thing is greatly as thinketh me Against the honour of Gods holy name. Kg Though old custom hath us long 〈◊〉 Against God's Gospel manyf●stlye Is it not niece that it should be forbid 〈◊〉 old custom be against the gospel it must give place. And also despised utterly? If truth and old custom disagree Shall not truth old custom despise and blame And make him subject to God's virtue Yes, that is the honour of God's holy name siplicitie. Will ye (o knowledge) be of that mind? Will ye be of that sort and guise? Will ye begin new ways to find The custom of our forefathers is to be observed. And old custom clean to despise? How say ye, were not our father's wise? Where they not learned? ye be to blame Let their example your mind sustyse Concerning the honour of God's holy name knowledge Unto our father's God be merciful They lived in darkness and we in light Our fathers as paul teacheth were und a cloud, & saw not the truth. A litney were under a cloud most wonderful Of the truth, they had no perfect sight But I say, through God's power and might That cloud is cleared and set in right frame And all feigned fantasies it shall put to flight To the honour and praise of God's holy name siplicitie. Will ye give me leave to ask you a question And with my boldness not to be angry I would be sorry in any condition, The 〈…〉 of siplicitie. For to offend you, ye may believe me And I desire you even heartily Show unto me your opinion again For we two I think shall not agree Concerning the honour of gods holy name. knowledge Ask what ye will, and by God's grace As well as my wits shall serve me I shall make answer in little space the gentle answer of knowledge As I have learned in god's verity Be not afraid, but speak at liberty What so ever ye say, none shall ye blame For surely I trust your mind to satisfy Concerning the honour of God's holy name siplicitie. How say you (I pray thee) to the holy mass That long hath been used of antiquity An for many other things I let pass) The first question is of masses As of mass of mass of requiem and scala rely That delivered our friends souls from purgatory With many more masses than I can name Of the v. wound●s, and of corpus Christi To the honour and praise of God's holy name Knowledge Such masses I say, are but idolatry that all masses satisfactory are idolatry of the bishop of Rome's inventing. Which the Romish antichrist did invent To blind our eyes with feigned hypocrisy And all to get money was his intent What greater blasphemy was everment? If masses shall save us, Christ's death is invayn That suffered for us his flesh to be torment Honour therefore no mass, but God's holy name Siplicitë How say ye then unto the Sacrament Which all ye go about to deny Whether Christ's body be really present in the sacrament. In the host, to be bodily present first as he was borne of marry And upon the cross as he did die If ye speak against this ye are to blame This out fathers believed, and so do I To the honour and prasyse of God's holy name. Knowledge The sacrament is an holy thing But the use thereof was far out of frame And that self body on the cross hanging that christ is not ' odely ●●ent in th● sacran●●t. And horn of marrow that blessed dame In his corporal presence I say plain Is not there present, surely I think the same Who teacheth contrary, his doctyne is vain And great dishonour to God's holy name. siplicitie Ah jesus mercy what do I here? God is present ●lwhere & therefore his body is in the sacrament Is not he present in the sacrament? How say you? Is not God present allwhere? Will ye deny the new Testament? And if he be alwhere, I say verament He is in the sacrament I abide by the same Your devilish doctrine the devil did invent To the great dishonour of God's holy name. Knowledge Yis sir God is present in very deed As well all where, as in the Sacrament But that understand in his Godhead that God is present all where and is not seen, as the soul of man is inuis●●ble & icorruptible And for example turn this president The soul and the body be things different But the body destroyed, the soul doth yet remain And ye see not the soul, nether yet in the sacrament Ye see God's body, but blaspheme his name. Siplicite Marry sir that is abominable heresy Is this your new leraning and doctrine? That the priest of●● up God's bo●y i the sacramed What thing can be said that is mort blasphemy Ye shall never persuade me brother mine Doth not the priest from time to time lift up God's body, and show us the same? In form of bread, yea, we see it with our eyen To the honour and praise of God's holy name. knowledge Ye are deceived ●●o●rr simplicity Christ offered once can not be offered against, mass is idolatry & hath no ground in scripture. For Christ being offered once for all Shall never be offered again, believe men. Our masses therefore, are most Idolatry of all Having no ground in scripture at all If ye say, ye see Chryst life up in the same You common most shameful idolatry withal To the great dishonour of God's holy name. siplicitie. Our curates command us in pain of dampnació To believe that Christ's blessed blood and body In the sacrament is present, of the same fashion As he suffered died, and was borne of marry Curates command to believe that God's body is the 〈…〉 the sacrament. And who soever doth say the contrary To the bishops, they do accuse the same As one committing most shameful heresy To the great dishonour of God's holy name knowledge your carries Curates whom cunstune hath blinded Do not wel●●n that thing know what they say But look in the Gospel and y● shall find it The ●●●fe same jesus bornt of a may Curates are b●●●● Christ is on the right had of the father. That was Crucified, died, and rose the iii day On his father's right hand now sitteth plain His body is only there present I say Who saith contrary, doth blaspheme his name Siplicité 〈…〉 ●rowe say you to fasting days? Are they not mo●st shamefully abused? A question of ceremonies. And what think you of our holy days Which are not m●te to be refused Both palms and ashes are clean confused And offering of Candles organ with them Are not all these still to be used To the honour and praise of God's holy name? knowledge. I say no day more one than other the fastig & holidaus made by man, are of n●●●ff●●t & all such like ceremonies. By God's word is commanded to fast And kept well your Saboth day my Brother All other holy days are in waste. your palms and ashes clean out cast if ye offer to stock and stone, ye are to blame They are all but feigned like the winds blast And against the honour of God's holy name. Siplicitë Say ye, that feigned is the holy crucifix? And despite ye the holy priests absolution? A question of y ●●●d prufi● absoleciē, of the god in ye●o●e, & such other Is God's body a feigned God in the pyr? Did not our beads s●●●e us to d●●●tion? Do not the saints make insercessyen? Doth not our fastings our flesh tame? Our holy bread & holy water give us mons●ion To honour and praise God's holy name. Knowledge Of the crucifix an Idol ye made And your priests usurped God's absolution The bread in the box is no God I said In answer to the same. And that your beads are very superstition your saints can make no intercession your feigned fasting can not your flesh tame your water and bread, by conjuration Are great dishonour to God's holy name Siplicitie And was it not well with us think ye When we used our pilgrimage for devotion? if pilgrimage was not good & the saints wrought ●ntra●les. To holy saints that wrought wonderfully Great marvels passing man's expectation And they helped us in our perturbation Almost all thing that we asked we did obteynt ●ow say ye? Was not this a godly fashion To the honour and praise of God's holy name. Knowledge That fatron is devilish and clean contrary yt●ylgry: ma●e was 〈…〉 aghasted god ●●s commandment. To God's commandment, as ye shall see God said and commanded us very straightly Thou shalt have none other God but me If ye worship idols of stone or of tree ye or think they can help you ye are to bla●● For then ye deprive God of his glory To the great dishonour of his holy name. Siplicity Is fasting and prayer of no effect Did not Chryst to us make mention In his gospel by words direct if fasting and prayer are of none effect That well, vide use them for good intention? Yet some men say ye despise the same And amongst yourselves ye have great dissension ●o the great dishonour of God's holy name, Knowledge Yes, fasting and prayer are much requisite fastig and prayer are necessary, but no special time is thereto appoited by scriptures. As Chryst himself did to us examplesye But I say in scripture it is not recite To fast or pray any time propre●ye But watch ye and pray ye continually When the flesh doth prick, them make it tame With fasting, but beware of hypocrisy For that is dishonour to God's holy name. siplycitie. I pray God amend all that is amiss In the world was never so much division One is of that sort, another is of this prayeth that all abuses may be amended men may agree in one. And each one divers in his opinion ye learned men first must agreed in one that after your example, ourselves we may frame Then shall we not serve in any condition But praise all together Gods holy name. Knowledge And I pray God with you in that thy●… To set at one all our division As to his glory shallbe pertaining Knowledge agreeth to siplicities prayer. That all we may agree in one And no man stick to one opinion But as God's word shall teach him the sam● Then shall we not serve in any condition But praise all together Gods holy name Siplicitè Syrin deed all they are above my reason desireth to be caught the right way to fast, pray & to rec●yue the Lords supper. And ye be a man well learned, men say Will ye therefore take pain with me this season My cumbered conscience to quite and stay? ye say we should fast, ye say we should pray And the supper of the lord, ye praise much the sam● To teach me to use the same after the right wa● To the honour and praise. etc. yea, that I will with all my heart That is the thing that I ever pretend▪ If diligently ye will adverse My diligence towards you is bended the good will of knowledge towards siplicitie. your symp●●●●s hath not me offended Neither my boldness you, I think the same And I trust your grief shortly to end it To the honour and praise of God's holy name. knowledge First to your question how ye should pray How 〈◊〉 should pray. In the vi of Math. learn Christ's doctrine Pray not for praise, as I po●rites do I say But in thy chambre, see thyself thou decline by thy chambre thy conscience thou must define And if that be clean, believe well the same God will reward thereby his power divine To the honour and praise of God's holy name. Knoleg● But in much babbling esteem no felicicie we are not hear● for our many pr●●ers, but for the●… be said from t●… heart. Like as did the pharisees most blind your ladies psalter was mere hypocrisy By this place of scripture, plainly we find your beads brought prayer cleave out of kind Christ taught a prayer, let us use the same Devoutly to be said with heart and mind To the honour and praise of God's holy name. knowledge your matins and evensong in a strange tongue your patched masses full of papistry mates a●… ev●iōg 〈…〉 a strau●… tongue & 〈◊〉 ceremon●● 〈…〉 vain. your shameful sort of cerimones doom As knilling, kneeling and other many Do they any thing you teach to edify? And to pray and think not, is but in vain The Godly prophet herein agreeth with me All these are dishonour to God's holy name. Knowledge When thou fastest (saith Chryst) be not sorry As the hypocrites which pretending gravity. Did dysfigure their faces superstitiously How we should fast That to men's sight they might seem holy But when thou fastest, do it secretly Not for worlds glory, but thy flesh to tame Than God shall reward the abundantly To the honour and praise of his holy name. knowledge But this is not meant by friday nor lent superstitious fasting is against god's honour. By the fast of Bernard/ or yet of our lady Neither yet of the clouted cloisters advent For scripture appointeth no time properly Neither yet of meats maketh be diversity But biddeth thy fast, thy flesh for to tame At all times when soever thy flesh pricketh the Thus fasting, thou honour'st Gods holy name. Knowledge And now for the holy supper of the lord How we should receive the supper of the lord. Let pau● be your teacher in each degree Examen your conscience/ let your faith, accord Before ye presume of so high a mist tie For in this point, faith only must be your eye Faith must be your taste, & all your wits frame It is in your faith, that ye see God's body To the honour and praise of his holy name. Knowledge Think not that ye do eat him with your teeth we do not eat Christ's body nor drink his blood but in spirit by faith. Think not that ye see him with your bodily eye But eat him and drink him in spirit & faith For he, yet ipuing ●oyd give his body Unto his ●iscyples, and said, eat ye This is my body: yet his body plain Before their eyes was present corporally Their faith did iufiyse: their bodily brain Knowledge Let faith therefore you govern and lead And in your heart remember his passion That we should before all things believe in his passion. And that he died in very deed leaving to us for a commemoration His blessed body, of such a ynd and fashion That in spirit & faith we should receive the same Thus doing/ you take it to your salvation To the honour and praise of God's holy name. Siplicité I pray God thank you with all mine heart The thakes of siplyc●té for the good ●●●̄s ●●ll of knowledge. In these things my consyenceis appeased And in all other I trust soon afterward My heart by you shall be well ●a●●d The blindness that in me was, seized Is almost cleared and sit in fr●me And you I do thank, whom it hath pleased To teach me to honour God's holy name Knowledge give the laud to God, as most worthy is And not unto man, but unto his name And pray we for the Kings highness not to man but to god be all glory That God's gospel hath so in frame That all we may see the truth from the vain That all we all errors may worthily blame That all we his kingdom at the last may attayn● In bliss all toghther to praise his holy name. Finis.