¶ A Maruelous tydynges both Wonders Old and New The Deuyll is endited yf many mens wordes be tru.
IN all Christendom, Christes Godspell now is rad
Of man, womā, and chyld, it maketh their harts glad
Whiche with shamefull syns, before were full sad
O wounders good tydynges, yf all sayinges be tru.
¶ It is rad so oft, and with soch diligence
That no text is wrested, thorow raische negligence
Playn declaracions, help moche to the true sense
We all haue cause to reioyse, yf these tydyngs be tru.
❧ Now after Christes rule, all folk do lead theyr lyfe
They abhor all chydyng, braulyng, fyghtyng, and stryfe
Grete feruent charytie is betwyne man and wyfe
No worse wordes then hony comb, sweet hart of gold, most tru.
¶ One neybur resorteth fryndly to an other
As though all were kynsfolk, lyke brother and brother.
Greter loue was neuer betwyne chyld and mother
This world is no world, yf all tydynges be tru.
❧ It is rather lyke Heuyn, or pleasaunt Paradyse
The folk be lyke Angels, discrete, sober, and wyse
If one fall through fraylty, he repentyng more then twyse
Ryseth styll a new man, a good Christian and tru.
¶ Folk fast, pray, and serue God, not Hipocritically
(Only to be seen of men, for folysh vayn glory)
But from the very hart, the Lord God to gloryfy
Despysyng fond fantasyes, as false thynges, and not tru.
¶ Euery body now, in somtrade of lyuyng
Doth labour for his foode, with trauell or swetyng
Som dyggyng, som spynuyng, som wrytyng, som redyng
Som geuyng good counsell, lyke honest folk and tru.
☞ They knowe that they must make, a rekenyng to God
Of theyr dispensacion, they feere gretely Gods rod
The ryche do helpe the poore, with rost meat or with sod
None lye staruyng in Streets, yf all mens tonges be tr [...]
¶ Great ryche men be afrayd, least they dye sodaynly
Least theyre goods (after them) be spent in foolery
Least God wyll call them fooles, therfore liberally
They spend moche in theyr lyfe, vpon poore folk and tru.
❧ They be redy also, somwhat to prysons to send
If any through frayltie, chaunse folyshly to offend
But now Prisons be empty, the world doth so amende
There be but .iiii. score and ten in kynges benche, it was tru▪
¶ Of them that be in pryson, som be tyed with clogges
Som gnaw broun crustes of bred, sō burnish boones lyke doggs
Som wysh to fyll theyr gut [...]s, with catts, ratts, myse, or froggs
Specyally this deere yere: Now (they say) they wyll be tru.
☞ How many be in Ludgate, and Neugate I can not tel
But they that be abrode, be afrayd, I trust well
And fall to wourk lustely, thorow theyr exampell
They abhorre Clinkerum: They say they wyll be tru.
¶ A man may goo now, ouer fyns bery fy [...]de
Without sweard and buckler, without speare or shylde
With an houndred poundes: as safe as with a nylde
In a mysty mornyng, and by nyght, yf tales be tru.
✚ All England and Spayn, all Scotland, and Germany
All Fraunce and Ireland, all Denmark and Hungary
Be purged so (I trust) from vice and Idolatry
That the Turk doth beghyn to thynk the Godspele tru.
❧ The Saracens and Iewes (I trust) do now conuert
Moued with Godlynes that is in Christians harte
They fere least Chrysts scourge wyll make theyr bones to smart
I trust they receyue baptyme, and belyue the Godspell is tru.
¶ They hire it so discussed by calculacyon
That Doomes day is at hand, yf mens speculacion
In Astronomye be tru, the worldes transformacyon
Wylbe within .x. yeres, straunge newes yf it be tru.
❧ I (one of .xl. yeres) thought to prouyde for age
House for one and twenty yere, or som fat personage
Som prebend, deanery, or som vicarage
But now I pas not moche, yf Astronomers be tru.
¶ Yea whither Astronomers, be true eyther no
Or that generall iugement be commyng to or fro
This one thyng I kno sure, that I shall hence go.
I kno nor day, nor ooure: Nothyng is more tru.
❧ And douteles, yf all men, wolde be of my mynde
We wold som better way, for to lyue here out fynde
Men shulde be set awurk, onlesse they were stark blynd
Yea blynde shuld do somwhat, to kepe themselfe tru.
¶ Helthy folke lackyng wourk, shuld resorte to a place
With theyr tooles and instrumētes (as som vse to shew their face)
Then set awourk, or fed, (of mens fauour and grace).
With som comon purse, to kepe themselfs tru
❧ So that it shuld be a straunge thyng for to see
Any theft or murder, euer committed to be
As (thankes be to God) folk burne so in charytie
That no knauery raigneth, yf all mens wordes be tru.
¶ The Deuyll hath ben a knaue, and hath kylde many men
Yea both soule and body, moe perchaunse then ten
Now he is endyted, as witnesseth my pen
His Quest is empayneld, he is founde false, not tru.
☞ Here folowe the names of the .xii. men that goo vpon the Deuyll.
¶ Gen. iii. i. Paralip. xxi. Iob. i. ii. Sapien. ii.
Christ in Math. xiii. and in Luke. viii. Math. iiii.
Mar. i. Luke. xxii. Ioan. xiii. and. i. Ioan. iii.
Paull to the Ephesians. vi. i. Pet. v. Iacob. iiii.
❧ It wylbe hard to kyll, suche an immortall knaue
He recoueryth so oft, though a stronge hooste we haue
Call in Turkes and Saracens, that they also may be saue [...]
Through Gods help, we may breke Satans hed, It is tru▪
¶ To breke Satans hed, of all wayes this is one
With the buckler of fayth, to resyst suggestion
And strongly to belyue, that Christes passion
Christes wordes and myrakels, all be most surely tru▪
❧ All Christian Kyngs, do now theyr wittes bende
Theyr letters in print to the Turkes for to sende
With many new testamentes, theyr blynd lyfe to am [...]n [...]
For fere of hell fyre, I trust it wylbe tru.
¶ When Satan the Deuyll, seeth such a great hoost
Suche a sort of christians, to dimtnish his boost
He must nedes be compelld, to graunt his great strenght [...]o [...]
When his pate is broken, God graunte this may be tru.
❧ Then the golden world, I trust wyll com agayn
That folk may lyue easyly, without any great payn
Many egges for a peny, at London I wolde se fayn
Flesche and fische better chepe, I trust it wylbe tru.
¶ All other thynges good chepe, I trust to se er I dye
Coynes, measures, and weyghtes, in good vniformiti [...]
Thorow all the world, I trust to se schortely
Onles that diuersitie doth more good, it be tru:
❧ Ientyll reder, farewell: Thou knoest part of my mynd
There lye in my harte, many such thynges behynde
Whiche towards the brekyng, of Satans hed I fynde
That all may be mery, and wyse in Christ: It is tru.
¶ Io. x. [...] habeo / que non sunt ex hoc on [...] / [...]las quoq oportet [...] vocem [...] audient, et fiet [...] o [...]ile / et vnus pastoe,
¶Io, xii. [...]unc [...] est mundi huios. Nunc princeps mundi huius [...]icietu [...] for [...]. Et ego [...] [...]etra / [...] trah [...] ad [...]. Hoc autem dicebat significans, que [...].
¶ Printed by Cornel [...]s Woltrop dwellyng at saynt Antonies