Two Dyaloges (c. 1549) | Page 6

tyme
for hym to fall downe vpon his marybones, and yf he had not done it by
and by I had my hal||barde vp redy to haue gyuen hym betwyxt the
necke and the heade, I loked as grymme as modie Mars when he is in
furyous fume, it is trewe that I tell you, for there was inoughe sawe the
frere and me yf I wolde make a lye. Cannius. I maruayle the frere was
not out of his wyt. But to retourne to oure purpose agayne, dost thou

lyue chastly? Poliphemus. Peraduenture I maye do here after when I am
more stryken in age. But shall I confesse the trouthe to the? Canni. I am
no preest man, therfore yf thou wylt be shryuen thou must seke a preest
to whome thou maye be lawfully confessed. Poliphe. I am wont styl to
cõfesse my selfe to god, but I wyl confesse thus moche to the at this
tyme I am not yet become a perfyte gospeller or an euangelical man,
for I am but yet as it were one of ye cõmune people, ye knowe wel
perde we gospellers haue iiii. gospels wrytten by the .iiii. euange||lystes,
& suche gospellers as I am hunt busely, and chefely for .iiii. thynges
that we may haue. Unde. to prouyde dayntie fare for the bellie, that
nothynge be lackynge to that parte of the body whiche nature hath
placed vnder the belly, ye wote what I meane, and to obtayne and
procure suche liuinge that we may lyue welthely and at pleasure
without carke & care. And fynally that we maye do what we lyst
without checke or controlment, yf we gospellars lacke none of all these
thynges we crye and synge for ioye, amonge our ful cuppes Io Io we
tryumphe and are wonderfull frolycke, we synge and make as mery as
cup and can, and saye the gospell is a lyue agayne Chryst rayneth.
Cannius. This is a lyfe for an Epycure or a god belly and for no
euangelicall persone that professeth the gospell. Poli. I denye not but
that it is so as ye saye, but ye knowe well that god is omnipotent and
can do al thynges, he can turne vs ||whê his wyll is sodenly in to other
maner of men. Cannius. So can he transforme you in to hogges and
swyne, the whiche maye soner be done I iudge thê to chaunge you into
good men for ye are halfe swynyshe & hoggyshe alredy, your lyuynge
is so beastlie. Poliphe. Holde thy peas mã wolde to god there were no
men that dyd more hurt in the world then swyne, bullockes, asses, and
camelles. A mã may se many men now adayes more crueller then lyons,
more rauenynge thê wolues, more lecherous then sparous, and that byte
worse then mad dogges, more noysom thê snakes, vepers and adders.
Cannius. But nowe good Polipheme remembre and loke vpon thy selfe
for it is hyghe tyme for the to laye a syde thy beastly lyuynge, and to be
tourned from a brute and a sauage beast in to a man. Poliphemus. I
thanke you good neyghbour Cannius for by saynt Mary I thynke your
counsayle is good/for the prophetes of this ||tyme sayth the worlde is
almost at an end, and we shall haue domes daye (as they call it)
shortely. Cannius. We haue therfore more nede to prepare our selues in

a redines agaynst that day, and that with as moche spede as maye be
possible. Poliphemus. as for my part I loke and wayte styll euery day
for the myghty hande and power of christ. Cannius. Take hede therfore
that thou, when christ shall laye his myghty hande vpon the be as
tendre as waxe, that accordynge to his eternall wyll he maye frayme &
fashyon the with his hande. But wherby I praye the dothe these
prophetes coniecture & gather that the worlde is almost at an ende.
Poliphe. Bycause men (they saye) do the selfe same thinge nowe
adayes that they dyd, and were wont to do which were lyuynge in the
worlde a lytle whyle before the deluge or Noyes floode. They make
solempne feastes, they banket, they quaffe, they booll, they bybbe, they
ryot men mary, ||wome are maryed, they go a catterwallynge and
horehuntinge, they bye, they sell, they lend to vserie, and borowe vpon
vserie, they builde, kîges keepe warre one agaynst another, preestes
studie howe they maye get many benefyces and promociõs to make
them selfe riche and increase theyr worldly substaunce, the diuynes
make insolible sillogismus and vnperfyte argumêtes, they gather
conclusyons, monkes and freers rûne, at rouers ouer all the world, the
comyn people are in a mase or a hurle burle redy to make insurrections,
and