I sawe through his paper coffen, that it was but a
cosening corse, and one that had learnde of the holie
maid of Kent, to lie in a trance, before he had
brought foorth his lie; drawing his mouth awrie,
that could neuer speake right; goggling with his eyes
that watred with strong wine; licking his lips, and
gaping, as though he should loose his childes nose,
if he had not his longing to swallowe Churches; and
swelling in the paunch, as though he had been in
labour of a little babie, no bigger than rebellion; but
truth was at the Bishoppes trauaile: so that Martin
was deliuered by sedition, which pulls the monster
with yron from the beastes bowells. When I perceiued
that he masked in his rayling robes, I was so
bolde as to pull off his shrowding sheete, that all the
worlde might see the olde foole daunce naked.
Tis not a peniworth of protestation that can buy
thy pardon, nor al worth a penie that thou proclaimest.
Martin comes in with bloud, bloud, as though hee
should bee a martir. Martins are mad martirs, some
of them burnt seauen yeares agoe, and yet aliue.
One of them lately at Yorke, pulling out his napkin
to wipe his mouth after a lie, let drop a surgeans
caliuer at his foote where he stood; these fellowes
can abide no pompe, and yet you see they cannot be
without a little squirting plate: rub no more, the
curtall wrinches.
They call the Bishops butchers, I like the
Metaphore wel, such calues must be knockt on the
head, and who fitter than the Fathers of the Church
to cut the throates of heresies in the Church. Nay,
wh[=e] they haue no propertie of sheepe but bea, their
fleece for flockes, not cloath, their rotten flesh for
no dish, but ditches; I thinke them woorth neither
the tarring nor the telling, but for their scabbednes
to bee thrust from the pinfolde to the scaffold, and
with an _Habeas corpus_ to remooue them from the
Shepheards tarre-boxe to the hangmans budget.
I but he hath sillogismes in pike sauce, and arguments
that haue been these twentie yeres in pickle.
I, picke hell, you shall not finde such reasons, they
bee all in _celarent_, and dare not shewe their heads,
for wee will answere them in _ferio_ and cut their
combes. So say they, their bloud is sought. Their
bloud? What should wee doo with it, when it will
make a dogge haue the toothach to eat the puddings.
Martin tunes his pipe to the lamentable note of
_Ora whine meg_. O tis his best daunce next shaking
of the sheetes; but hee good man meant no harme
by it. No more did one of his minions, that thinking
to rap out an oath and sweare by his conscience,
mistooke the word and swore by his concupiscence;
not vnlike the theefe, that in stead of God speede,
sayd stand, and so tooke a purse for God morowe.
Yet dooth Martin hope that all her Maiesties
best subiects will become Martinists; a blister of
that tongue as bigge as a drummes head; for if the
Queenes Maiestie haue such abiects for her best
subiects, let all true subiects be accompted abiects.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account