Two Dyaloges (c. 1549) | Page 5

elles in all that whyle? Poli. By my trouthe and ye wyll
beleue me I neuer yet assayed nor proued whether I coulde do it or no.
But is it not sufficient to saye it with my mouthe? Can. I can not tell
whether it be or no. But I am sure god here vs not excepte we praye
from the bothum of our harte. But tell me another thyng I wyll aske the.
Doest thou not fast very often? Poli. No neuer in all my lyfe tyme and
yf it were not for lacke of meate. Can. And yet thy boke alowes and
commendes hyghly bothe fastynge and prayer. Polip. So coulde I alowe
them but that my belly can ||not well affare nor a way with fastyng.
Cannius. Yea but Paule sayth they are not the seruauntes of Iesus
Christe whiche serue theyr belly & make it theyr god. Do you eate
fleshe euery day? Po. No neuer when I haue none to eate, but I neuer
refuse it when it is set before me, and I neuer aske question not for
cõscience but for my belly sake. Can. Yea but these stronge sturdy
sydes of suche a chuffe and a lobbynge lobye as thou arte wolde be fed
well inoughe with haye and barke of trees. Poliphe. Yea but chryste
sayd, that which entereth in at the mouthe defyleth not the man. Canni.
That is to be vnderstand thus yf it be measurably taken, and without the
offendinge of our christian brother. But Paule the disciple of chryst had
rather peryshe & sterue with hunger then onys to offende his weyke
brothren with his eatynge, and he exhorteth vs to followe his example
that in all thynges we maye please all men. Poli. What tel ||ye me of
Paule, Paule is Paule and I am I. Cannius. Do you gladly helpe to
releue the poore and the indygent with your goodes? Poli. Howe can I
helpe them whiche haue nothynge to gyue them, and scant inoughe for
my selfe. Cannius. ye myght spare somthynge to helpe thê with yf thou
woldest playe the good husband in lyuynge more warely, in
moderatynge thy superfluous expenses, and in fallynge to thy worke
lustely. Poliphemus. Nay then I were a fole in dede, a penyworth of

ease is euer worth a peny, and nowe I haue found so moch pleasure in
ease that I can not fall to no labour. Canni. Do you kepe the
commaundementes of god? Polip. Nowe ye appose me, kepe the
cõmaundementes quod he, that is a payne in dede. Cannius. Art thou
sory for thy synnes and thyne offences, doest thou ernestly repent the
for thê. Poliphemus. Christ hath payed the raunsome of synne and
satisfied for it alredy. Cannius. Howe ||prouest thou then that thou
louest the gospell and fauoris the word of god as thou bearest men in
hande thou doest. Poliphemus. I wyll tell you that by & by, and I dare
saye you wyl confesse no lesse your selfe then that I am an ernest
fauorer of the worde then I haue told you ye tale. There was a certayne
gray frere of the order of saynt Fraunces with vs whiche neuer ceased
to bable and rayle agaynste the newe testament of Erasmus, I chaunsed
to talke with the gêtylman pryuatly where no man was present but he
and I, and after I had communed awhyle with hym I caught my frere by
the polled pate with my left hande and with my right hãde I drew out
my daggar and I pomelled the knaue frere welfauardly aboute his
skonce that I made his face as swollen and as puffed as a puddynge.
Cannius. what a tale is this that thou tellest me. Poliphemus. How say
you is not this a good and a sufficient proue that I fa||uer the gospell. I
gaue hym absolucion afore he departed out of my handes with this
newe testament thryse layde vpon his pate as harde as I myght dryue yt
I made thre bunches in his heed as bygge as thre egges in the name of
the father, the sone, & the holy goost. Can. Now by my trouth this was
well done & lyke a ryght gospeller of these dayes. Truly this is as they
saye to dyffende the gospell with the gospell. Poliphe. I met another
graye frere of the same curryshe couent, that knaue neuer had done in
raylynge agaynst Erasmus, so sone as I had espyed hym I was styrred
and moued with the brenninge zele of the gospell that in thretenyng of
him I made hym knele downe vpon his knees and crye Erasmus mercie
and desyred me to forgyue hym, I may saye to you it was hyghe