Chapter 8

Now farewell, mine own herds-man Wat! Yea, fore God, Lady, even so I hat! Lull well Jesus in thy lap, And farewell Joseph, with thy round cap! Ut hoy! For in his pipe he made so much joy! _Can I not sing, etc._

Now may I well both hope and sing, For I have been at Christ's bearing, Home to my fellows now will I fling, Christ of heaven to His bliss us bring! Ut hoy! For in his pipe he made so much joy! _Can I not sing, etc._

_Now have good day, now have good day! I am Christmas, and now I go my way!_

Here have I dwelt with more and less, From Hallow-tide till Candlemas! And now must I from you hence pass, _Now have good day!_

I take my leave of King and Knight, And Earl, Baron, and lady bright! To wilderness I must me dight! _Now have good day!_

And at the good lord of this hall, I take my leave, and of guestes all! Methinks I hear Lent doth call, _Now have good day!_

And at every worthy officer, Marshall, panter, and butler, I take my leave as for this year, _Now have good day!_

Another year I trust I shall Make merry in this hall! If rest and peace in England may fall! _Now have good day!_

But often times I have heard say, That he is loth to part away, That often biddeth "have good day!" _Now have good day!_

Now fare ye well all in-fere! Now fare ye well for all this year, Yet for my sake make ye good cheer! _Now have good day!_

_Now sing we with angels Gloria in excelsis!_

A babe is born to bliss us bring; I heard a maid lullay and sing; She said "dear Son, leave thy weeping, Thy Father is the King of bliss." _Now sing we, etc._

"Lullay," she said and sang also, "Mine own dear Son, why art thou woe? Have I not done as I should do? Thy grievance tell me what it is." _Now sing we, etc._

"Nay, dear mother, for thee weep I nought, But for the woe that shall be wrought To me, or I mankind have bought, Was never sorrow like it, i-wis." _Now sing we, etc._

"Peace, dear Son, tell me not so! Thou art my child, I have no mo! Should I see men mine own Son slo? Alas, my dear Son, what means this?" _Now sing we, etc._

"My hands, mother, that ye may see, Shall be nailed unto a tree! My feet also fast shall be; Men shall weep that shall see this!" _Now sing we, etc._

"Ah, dear Son, hard is my hap! See my child that sucked my pap, His hands, his feet that I did wrap Be so nailed, that never did amiss!" _Now sing we, etc._

"Ah, dear mother, yet shall a spear My heart in sunder all to-tear; No wonder if I carefull were, And weep full sore to think on this!" _Now sing we, etc._

"Ah, dear Son, shall I see this? Thou art my child and I thy mother, i-wis! When Gabriel called me, full of grace, He told me nothing of this!" _Now sing we, etc._

"Ah, dear mother, through my hair To thrust in thorns they will not spare! Alas, mother, I am full of care That ye shall see this heaviness!" _Now sing we, etc._

"Ah dear Son, leave thy weeping! Thou bringst my heart in great mourning; A careful song now may I sing, This tidings hard to me it is!" _Now sing we, etc._

"Ah, peace, dear mother, I thee pray! And comfort me all that ye may, And sing 'by by, lullay lullay,' To put away all heaviness." _Now sing we, etc._

_Caput apri refero Resonens laudes domino._

The boar's head in hands I bring, With garlands gay and birds singing! I pray you all help me to sing, _Qui estis in convivio!_

The boar's head I understand, Is chief service in all this land, Wheresoever it may be found, _Servitur cum sinapio!_

The boar's head I dare well say, Anon after the twelfth day, He taketh his leave and goeth away! _Exivit tunc de patria!_

_I pray you be merry and sing with me, In worship of Christ's Nativity!_

Into this world this day did come Jesus Christ, both God and man, Lord and servant in one person, Born of the blessed Virgin Mary! _I pray, etc._

He that was rich without any need Appeared in this world in right poor weed, To make us, that were poor indeed, Rich without any need truly! _I pray, etc._

A stable was his chamber, a crach was his bed, He had not a pillow to lay under His head, With maiden's milk that babe was fed, In poor clothes was lapped the Lord Almighty! _I pray, etc._

A noble lesson here is us taught, To set all worldly riches at nought! But pray we that we may be thither brought Where riches is everlastingly! _I pray, etc._

EXPLICIT.

_Noël, noël, noël, noël! This is the salutation of Gabriel!_

Tidings true There be come new, Sent from the Trinity, By Gabriel from Nazareth A city of Galilee! A clean maiden, A pure virgin, By her humility Hath born the Person Second in divinity! _Noël!_

When that He presented was Before her fair visage, In most demure and goodly wise He did to her homage! "I am sent, Lady, From heaven so high, That Lord's heritage, For He of thee Now born will be, I am sent on the message!" _Noël!_

"Hail, Virgin celestial! The meekest that ever was Hail, temple of the Deity Hail, Virgin pure! I thee ensure, Within a little space Thou shalt conceive, And Him receive That shall bring great solace." _Noël!_

Then bespake the Virgin again, And answered womanly, "Whatsoever my Lord commandeth me I will obey truly! Ecce, sum humillima Ancilla domini, Secundum verbum tuum fiat mihi! _Noël!_

_Man, move thy mind and joy this feast, Veritas de terra orta est!_

As I came by the way I saw a sight seemly to see, Three shepherds ranging in a kay, Upon the field keeping their fee. A star, they said, they did espy, Casting the beams out of the east, And angels making melody _Veritas de terra orta est!_

Upon that sight they were aghast, Saying these words, as I say thee: "To Bethlehem shortly let us haste, And there we shall the truthe see!" The angel said unto them all three, To their comfort or ever be ceased, "_Consolamini and merry be, Veritas de terra orta est!_"

From heaven, out of the highest see, Righteousness hath taken the way, With mercy meddled plenteously, And so conceived in a may, Miranda res this is in fay! So saith the prophet in his gest; Now is He born, scripture doth say: _Veritas de terra orta est!_

Then passed the shepherds from that place, And followed by the starres beam, That was so bright afore their face, It brought them straight unto Bethlem. So bright it shone, on all the realm Till they came there they would not rest, To Jewry and Jerusalem! _Veritas de terra orta est!_

_All this time this song is best: Verbum caro factum est!_

This night there is a child born That sprang out of Jesse's thorn; We must sing and say thereforn _Verbum caro factum est!_

Jesus is the child's name, And Mary mild is his dame; All our sorrow shall turn to game, _Verbum caro factum est!_

It fell upon high midnight, The stars shone both fair and bright, The angels sang with all their might _Verbum caro factum est!_

Now kneel we down on our knee, And pray we to the Trinity, Our help, our succour for to be! _Verbum caro factum est!_

_Now sing we, sing we, Gloria tibi domine!_

Christ keep us all, as he well can, A solis ortus cardine! For He is both God and man, Qui natus est de virgine! _Sing we, etc._

As He is Lord both day and night, Venter puellae baiulat, So is Mary mother of might, Secreta quae non noverat. _Sing we, etc_.

The holy breast of chastity, verbo concepit filium, So brought before the Trinity, Ut castitatis lilium! _Sing we, etc_.

Between an ox and an ass enixa est puerpera; In poor clothing clothed He was [Qui] regnat super aethera! _Sing we, etc_.

EXPLICIT.

+The Examination of Master William Thorpe, priest, of heresy, before Thomas Arundell, Archbishop of Canterbury, the year of our Lord, M.CCCC. and seven.+

+¶ The Examination of the honourable Knight, Sir John Oldcastle, Lord Cobham, burnt by the said Archbishop,[26] in the first year of King Henry the Fifth.+

+¶ Be no more ashamed to hear it, than ye were and be, to do it.+

Footnotes:

[26] This is incorrect, Archbishop ARUNDELL condemned Sir JOHN OLDCASTLE on September 25th, 1413, who was then sent to the Tower, see _pp._ 125, 132: from which he escaped; and being recaptured in Wales in 1417, was burnt on the 14th December of that year. But in the meantime, Archbishop ARUNDELL had died on the 14th February, 1414; and HENRY CHICHELEY had become Archbishop.

=W. Tindale. 1530.=

+¶ Unto the Christian Reader.+

_Grace and peace in our Lord JESUS CHRIST. Read here with judgement, good Reader! the Examination of the blessed Man of GOD, and there thou shalt easily perceive wherefore our Holy Church (as the most unholy sort of all the people will be called) make all their examinations in darkness; all the lay people clean excluded from their counsels._

_For if their lies had been openly confuted, and also that the Accused of Heresy might as well have been admitted to reason their_ Articles _with Counsel, whether they were heresy or no[t], as the Accused of Treason against the King is admitted to his Council to confute his cause and_ Articles, _whether they be treason or not, they should never have murdered nor prisoned so many good Christian men as they have done._

_For their cloaked lies could never have continued so long in the light, as they have done in corners. They, good men! when they come in the pulpit, and preach against the Truth, cry, "If their learning_ [_i.e._, of the Protestants] _were good and true, they would never go in corners; but speak it openly!"_

_Whereunto I answer, that besides that CHRIST and his Apostles were compelled (for because of the furiousness of their fathers, the Bishops and Priests, which only, that time also, would be called Holy Church) oftentimes for to walk secretly, and absent themselves, and give place to their malice. Yet we have daily examples, of more than one or two, that have not spared nor feared for to speak, and also_ [_to_] _preach openly the Truth; which have been taken of them, prisoned, and brent: besides others that for fear of death, have abjured and carried faggots. Of whose_ Articles _and Examination there is no layman that can shew a word._

=DEATHS OF SEVEN AT COVENTRY, &c.=

_Who can tell wherefore, not many years past, there were Seven burnt in Coventry on one day? Who can tell wherefore that good priest and holy martyr, Sir_ [the reverend] _THOMAS HITTON was brent, now this year, at Maidstone in Kent? I am sure, no man! For this is their cast_ [contrivance] _ever when they have put to death or punished any man: after their secret Examinations, to slander him of such things as he never thought; as they may do well enough, seeing there is no man to contrary them._

_Wherefore I exhort thee, good brother! whosoever thou be that readest this treatise, mark it well, and consider it seriously! and there thou shalt find, not only what the Church is, their doctrine of the Sacrament, the Worshipping of Images, Pilgrimage, Confession, Swearing, and Paying of Tithes: but also thou mayest see what strong and substantial arguments of Scripture and Doctors, and what clerkly reasons my Lord the head and Primate of the Holy Church in England (as he will be taken) bringeth against this poor, foolish, simple, and mad losell, knave, and heretic, as he calleth him. And also the very cause wherefore all their Examinations are made in darkness._

_And the Lord of all Light shall lighten thee with the candle of His grace, for to see the Truth! Amen._

¶ _This I have corrected and put forth in the English that now is used in England, for our Southern men; nothing thereto adding, ne yet therefrom minishing. And I intend hereafter, with the help of GOD to put it forth in his own old English, which shall well serve, I doubt not, both for the Northern men and the faithful brethren of Scot- land._

[+William of Thorpe's Preface.+]

=William of Thorpe. 1407.=

The LORD GOD that knoweth all things, wotteth well that I am right sorrowful for to write or make known this Sentence beneath written, where that of mine even Christian, set in high state and dignity, so great blindness and malice may be known; that they, that presume of themselves to destroy vices and to plant in men virtues, neither dread to offend GOD, nor lust [_desire_] to please Him: as their works shew. For, certes, the bidding of GOD and His Law (which, in the praising of His most Holy Name, He commandeth to be known and kept of all men and women, young and old; after the cunning and power that He hath given to them), the Prelates of this land and their ministers, with the comente [_community_] of priests chiefly consenting to them, enforce them most busily to withstand and destroy the holy Ordinance of GOD. And therethrough, GOD is greatly wroth and moved to take hard vengeance, not only on them that do the evil, but also on them all that consent to the Antichrist's limbs; which know or might know their malice and their falsehood, and [ad]dress them not to withstand their malice and great pride.

* * * * *

=THE FOUR MOTIVES TO THIS NARRATIVE.=

Nevertheless, four things moveth me to write this Sentence beneath.

The first thing, that moveth me hereto is this, that whereas it was known to certain friends that I came from the prison of Shrewsbury, and (as it befell in deed), that I should to the prison of Canterbury; then divers friends, in divers places, spake to me full heartfully and full tenderly, and commanded me then, if it so were that I should be examined before the Archbishop of CANTERBURY, that, if I might in any wise, I should write mine Apposing and mine Answering. And I promised to my special friends, that if I might, I would gladly do their biddings, as I might.

The second thing that moveth me to write this Sentence is this. Divers friends which have heard that I have been examined before the Archbishop, have come to me in prison and counselled me busily, and coveted greatly that I should do the same thing. And other brethren have sent to me, and required me, on GOD's behalf! that I should write out and make known both mine Apposing and mine Answering "for the profit that," as they say, "over my [ac]knowledging may come thereof." But this, they bade me, that I should be busy in all my wits to go as near the Sentence and the words as I could; both that were spoken to me, and that I spake: up[on] adventure this Writing came another time, before the Archbishop and his Council. And of this counselling I was right glad! for in my conscience, I was moved to do this thing; and to ask hereto the special help of GOD.

And so then, I considering the great desire of divers friends of sundry places, according all in one; I occupied all my mind and my wits so busily, that through GOD's grace, I perceived by their meaning and their charitable desire some profit might come therethrough.

=TRUTH IMPUGNED, HATH A SWEET SMELL.=

For Soothfastness and Truth hath these conditions. Wherever it is impugned, it hath a sweet smell, and thereof comes a sweet savour. And the more violent the enemies [ad]dress themselves to oppress and to withstand the Truth, the greater and the sweeter smell cometh thereof. And therefore this heavenly smell of GOD's Word will not, as a smoke, pass away with the wind; but it will descend and rest in some clean soul that thirsteth thereafter.

And thus, some deal, by this Writing, may be perceived, through GOD's grace, how that the enemies of the Truth, standing boldly in their malice, enforce them to withstand the freedom of CHRIST's Gospel; for which freedom, CHRIST became man, and shed his heart's blood. And therefore it is great pity and sorrow that many men and women do their own wayward will; nor busy them not to know nor to do the pleasant will of GOD.

Ye men and women that hear the Truth and Soothfastness, and hear or know of this, perceiving what is now in the Church, ought therethrough to be the more moved in all their wits to able them to grace, and set lesser price by themselves: that they, without tarrying, forsake wilfully [_voluntarily_] and bodily all the wretchedness of this life; since they know not how soon, nor when, nor where, nor by whom GOD will teach them, and assay their patience. For, no doubt, who that ever will live piteously, that is charitably, in CHRIST JESU shall suffer now, here in this life, persecution in one wise or another, that is, if we shall be saved.

=THIS STORY MAY STARTLE SOME CONSCIENCES.=

It behoveth us to imagine full busily, the vilite and foulness of sin, and how the LORD GOD is displeased therefore: and of this vilite of hideousness of sin, it behoveth us to busy us in all our wits for to abhor and hold in our mind a great shame of sin, ever! and so then we owe [_ought_] to sorrow heartily therefore, and ever flying all occasion thereof. And then [it] behoveth us to take upon us sharp penance, continuing therein, for to obtain of the LORD, forgiveness of our foredone sins, and grace to abstain us hereafter from sin! And but if [_except_] we enforce us to do this wilfully and in convenient time, the LORD (if He will not utterly destroy and cast us away!) will, in divers manners, move tyrants against us, for to constrain us violently for to do penance, which we would not do wilfully. And, trust! that this doing is a special grace of the LORD, and a great token of life and mercy!

And, no doubt, whoever will not apply himself, as is said before, to punish himself wilfully, neither will suffer patiently, meekly, and gladly the rod of the LORD, howsoever that He will punish him: their wayward wills and their impatience are unto them earnest of everlasting damnation.

But because there are but few in number that do able them thus faithfully to grace, for to live here simply and purely, and without gall of malice and of grudging, herefore the lovers of this world hate and pursue them that they know patient, meek, chaste, and wilfully poor, hating and fleeing all worldly vanities and fleshly lusts. For, surely, their virtuous conditions are even contrary to the manners of this world.

The third thing that moveth me to write this Sentence is this. I thought I shall busy me in myself to do faithfully, that all men and women occupying all their business in knowing and in keeping of GOD's commandments, able them so to grace, that they might understand truly the Truth, and have and use virtue and prudence; and so to serve to be lightened from above with heavenly wisdom: so that all their words and their works may be hereby made pleasant sacrifices unto the LORD GOD; and not only for help for their own souls, but also for edification of all Holy Church.

For I doubt not but all they that will apply them to have this foresaid business shall profit full mickle both to friends and to foes. For some enemies of the Truth, through the grace of GOD, shall, through charitable folks, be made astonied in their conscience, and peradventure converted from vices to virtues; and also they that labour to know and to keep faithfully the biddings of GOD, and to suffer patiently all adversities, shall hereby comfort many friends.

And the fourth thing that moveth me to write this Sentence is this. I know my sudden and unwarned Apposing and Answering that all they that will of good heart without feigning able themselves wilfully and gladly, after their cunning and their power, to follow CHRIST patiently, travailing busily, privily and apertly, in work and in word, to withdraw whomsoever that they may from vices, planting in them (if they may) virtues, comforting them and furthering them that standeth in grace; so that therewith they be not borne up into vainglory through presumption of their wisdom, nor enflamed with any worldly prosperity: but ever meek and patient, purposing to abide steadfastly in the Will of GOD, suffering wilfully and gladly, without any grudging whatsoever, the rod the LORD will chastise them with.

=INNOCENCE RECEIVES DIVINE HELP.=

Then this good LORD will not forget to comfort all such men and women in all their tribulations, and at every point of temptation that any enemy purposeth for to do against them ([to] such faithful lovers specially, and patient followers of CHRIST), the LORD sendeth His wisdom from above to them! which the adversaries of the Truth may not know nor understand; but through their old and new unshamefast sins, those tyrants and enemies of Soothfastness shall be so blinded and obstinate in evil, that they shall ween themselves to do pleasant sacrifices unto the LORD GOD in their malicious and wrongful pursuing and destroying of innocent men's and women's bodies; which men and women for their very virtuous living and for their true knowledging of the Truth and their patient, wilful, and glad suffering of persecution for righteousness, deserve through the grace of GOD to be heirs of the endless bliss of heaven.

And for [_on account of_] the fervent desire and the great love that those men have, as to stand in Soothfastness and witness of it, though they be, suddenly and unwarned, brought forth to be Apposed of their adversaries: the HOLY GHOST yet, that moveth and ruleth them, through His charity, will, in the hour of their Answering, speak in them, and shew His wisdom, that all their enemies shall not again say [_gainsay_] and against stand lawfully [_by right_].

And therefore all they that are stedfast in the faith of GOD, yea, which (through diligent keeping of His commandments, and for their patient suffering of whatsoever adversity that cometh to them) hope surely in His mercy, purposing to stand continually in perfect charity: for those men and women dread not so the adversities of this life, that they will fear (after their cunning and their power) to [ac]knowledge prudently the truth of GOD's Word! when, where, and to whom that they think their [ac]knowledging may profit. Yea, and though therefore, persecution come to them, in one wise or another, certes, they patiently take it! knowing their conversation to be in heaven.

=HEAVEN IS THE LORD GOD HIMSELF.=

It is a high reward and a special grace of GOD for to have and enjoy as the everlasting inheritance of heaven, for the suffering of one persecution in so short a time as is the term of this life. For, lo, this heavenly heritage and endless reward is the LORD GOD Himself! which is the best thing that may be. This Sentence witnesseth the LORD GOD Himself, whereas He said to ABRAHAM, _I am thy mede!_ And as the LORD said He was, and is the mede of ABRAHAM; so He is of all His other saints.