The Meeting of Doctor Barons and Doctor Powell

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The metynge OF DOCTOR BARONS AND doctor Powell at Paradise-gate and of theyr communicacion bothe drawen to Smithfylde from the Towar. The one burned for Heresye as the papistes do saye truly and the other quartered for popery and all within one houre.

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Powel

IT is sene often

That men mete nowe and then

But so do hylles neuer

What wynde draue the hether

draue: possibly ='draw', but more likely 'drave', i.e. 'drove'

Barons

Demaunde thou wherefore

For quyet euer-more

I haue trauelid longe therefore

Powel

Why I the desire

Thy reward is borning fyer

Thy trauell was non other

But against holi churches mother

Barons

Trulye thou doste not saye

Ful besy I haue bene

Goddes worde so pure and cleane

As it hathe bene wel se[n]e

To open nyghte and daye

But I haue bene so croppid

Pollid and noppid

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And so often stopped

In that my godly Iornye

Euer some popishe trayne

Out of a byshoppes brayne

Dyd turne me backe agayne

Cleane besyde the waye

So for the verye trothe

I fasyd wyth manye an othe fasyd: =faced; see below, fasinges

And susteyninge muche wrothe

My dewtye coulde not doo

Thoughe Barons was my name

And had grudge and blame

Rebuke disdayne and shame

Wyth sorowe care and woo

By many of the wycked

I was spornid at and kycked

When that they were prycked

One the galde backe

That they myghte fulfyll

Theyre popishe wycked wyll

And so contenewe styll

With malis lie and cracke

They made many listes

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And gaue no small giftes

Now litle to theire thriftes

By burning very longe

They alleged many lawes

After their owne sawes

Not wordy .ii. strawes wordy: ='worth'; see OED s.v. worthy adj.

To put pore men to wronge

Some pore sely sowles

Were brought forthe to powles

With carefull heuy nowles

Suffering muche shame and care

Some had there names

With tauntes rebukes and shame[s], shames] shame 1548

And constrayned were with blames

Fagots for to were

Some in prison depe

Did lye and slepe

And coulde not sturre nor crepe

Lyke theues as they had bene

With course barley-bred

Very hungerly feade

So heuy as any leade

Theire drinke was water thin

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If they had not sought a_boute

Frendes to get them out

Long ells they mought

In prison tarry still

And yet no cause why

That they coulde pacifie

Or ells truly iustifie

But theyr malice to fulfyll

For the truthes sake

Some they did make

Their gods to forsake

Some were exiled clene

Many they did spill

Bannyshe burne and kyll

Folowy[n]g theyr wicked wyll Folowyng] Folowyg 1548

Lyke theues as they had bene

Some in the bishoppes chambere

Priuelye examined were

Because the people shuld not com nere

To knowe what there was done

Wythe threteninges all to_mainyd

And fasinges sore blaimid

To recante they were constrayned

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From thens or they were gone

Powell

Fy Barons thou raylest

It is not true thou faylest

To lewdly thou saylest

In thy communication

Tell some other tayle

And do no longer rayle

For els I will not fayle

To leaue the here alone.

Barons.

It is your old pleying

That we do vse rayling

The truth when we be sayeng

100

Against your noughty lyuing

Ye can not abyde

Youre wyckednes should be spyde

Or the truth should be tride

Ye be therat so byting

105

But God that sitteth on hye

So haue on me mercie

If I entent to lye

Or therof wyll make reciting

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Therfore brother powell

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Though on popery styll ye smelle

And will not that I tell

Your detestable fasshion

As I am so I am

Nother popish nor roman

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But a very christian

And that on christes passion

For witnes do I call

Though bitter was my fall

I am content with-all

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[.......................] The rhyme-scheme indicates that a line is wanting.

Let me my mynd declare

For I will not spare

Nowe I am past care

The truth for to saye

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Mercy I tell the shewed they none

But a_way with flesh and bone

Of them they cried anone

That spake against theyr wyll

Better it were they sayd

130

In yrons that he were teyd

Or to the fier leyde

Then our kingdom he should spyll

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Still about they sought

And spitfully wrought

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Speaking that was not thought

The truth to put to flight

With malyce to much vsed

Iudasly they accused

The truth to be refused

140

Was all theyr delyght

Abroad were sent lyers

Of prestes and of friers

To be priuy spiers

To put Gods woord to wrong

145

Who did not cease

Malyce to encrease

And not quietnes

Through the ynglysh thr[on]ge thronge] thrauge 1548

If they had remembred well

150

What on the Iewes fell

Persecuting the gospell

And the vndoubted truyth

Then woulde they loke about

And feare their popish route

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In peaces should brest out

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Or haue a great ruyth

A deuelysh mad deuise

Well-doing to dispise

Naming it the new gise

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As some did it call

Which be the holy roode

Hath done much more good

To our ynglysh bloud

Then the old fasshion all

Powell.

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Cease thy comunication

Against the olde fasshion

Our catholyke tradicion

What doest thou knowe

Of bate or sedicion

170

Of grudge or rebellyon

Within ynglysh region

That the old sorte did sowe

I see thou dust not fayle

To Ieste and to rayle

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With an euell tayle,

And malyciously to crowe.

Barons

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A thou popish asse

Shall I let passe

The prelates iniquitas

180

Wherat totus mundus

Rorith at the bisshops

With their romysh shiphockes shiphockes: =sheep-hooks, 'croziers'

The popes priuy cokes

I meane plainlye thus

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Who lyst to seke about

May in chronicles sone finde oute

What sedes the popish route

In yngland hath sowen

Because the time is short

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I shall brefely report

And wright in dewe sort

Them what I haue knowen

And howe manfully hardy manfully hardy: cf. OED s.v. manful-hardy adj.

The fathers of the clargy

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And nothing at all [t]ardy tardy] hardy 1548

In lyes, disdayne and pryde

Spared no expence

Nor yet dayly diligence

By the preuie defence

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200

Gods worde for to hyde

Sinna sinnarum is

That thou in no wyes myss

To conueye this

To the high prelates al

205

It is my last writing

I wold they vse no byting

Yet open sittinge

What-soeuer therof be_fal The following note appears, printed in the right margin and partially trimmed: A faut escaped on the other side o[f] this page the iii. Line for dronken bl[oc]kes rede d[ra]kes bloud[e].

THE LETTER OF BARONS

Ful heuy I say they ought to be

210

For so long cloking of gods veriti

And to lament right bitterly

Calling for mercye

That he wold their eyes open

Yt theyr stony harts may be broken

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Whyche so longe hathe bene soken

With doctrine so fylthy

All the woorlde doth nowe it spye

And wonderfully vpon them crye

That they so long christe dyd denye

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220

Our only helth and sauioure

and made vs beleue on stoks and stons

Dr[akes bloude] and drye bones, Drakes bloude] Dronken blockes 1548See side note adjacent to line 208.

To be all helpers for the nones

For our wicked behauiore

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Holly bred and holly water

Wt redde letters written in paper

And to the cake as to oure maker

To trust they did vs teache

For the thonder to the holly bell

230

And at our dethe the holly candel

Masses propiscatory they did sel propiscatory: =propitiatory

To be our helping leche

For this lordes la[dy]es and knyght ladyes] laydes 1548

They haue had in greate despighte

235

Wt many other that nowe wright

Against theyr abhominacion

It is wel knowen and now espied

By my bloude and other that fryed

In smithefild gods word hath tried

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Theyr pharisis olde fasshion

Suche as was to polles called

And in prisones cruelly scallid

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For gods worde and spitfully bralled

For vengeance haue cried

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To god who with ye prelats now hath [met] met] ment 1548

For theyr tiranny without let

and for th[e]yr Iuggeling and snaring net theyr] thyr 1548

This cannot be denied

There is no man that now brookes

250

There stowte crakes and hie lookes

Their double hartes and fabling bokes

Their pride do abate

Thogh truth was inclosed in a wal

It is broken out and now doth fall

255

Your lordly pride brother snowbal

All these be sene of late.

Powell.

Thou abhominable heretike

Fantasticall and lunatike

Thi wordes mi hart do throw-prick

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Thus to heare the rayle

Prate and say what thou wylle

The papistes therat haue no skylle

They wyll kepe their holde stylle

And thou shalt not preuayle

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I se there is no remedy

Any longer to talke with the

As thou was so wilte thou be

Abhominable hereticke

As for thy letter to conueye

270

To my prelates stoute and gaye

Here I openlye saye the naye

And thereat trust and stycke

They wyll preuayle when thou art gone

When thou and thine lamente and mone

275

Thei haue to be meri it is wel-knouen

No sorowe can make them sicke

Barons

The deuel, a lye brother powell

Dust thou saye but I the tel

Let them lyue any longer to smell

280

And theyr fusty popery

Thei know the law thei know the paine

They can no longer cloke nor fayne

And if they do I tel the certayne

Theyr rewarde is playne ropery

285

Hereof I nede not much to saye

Yu assaied the game thou knowest the play

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Let them turne theyr mynd a_waye

And stryfe not against the right

If the lordly poure might ons a_bate

290

Then wold they quicly open the gate

Of true doctrine which of late

king henry did bring to light

God saue king Edwards noble grace

and send his highenes tyme and space

295

To continewe forth his godly trace

By gods powre and might

and send yl-chaun[c]e and crokid happes chaunce] chaunre 1548

To all suche popishe forked capes

That gaue so manye curs[e]d slappes cursed] cursd 1548

300

For gods blissed word

So hath he done it is certayne

They haue not won I tel the pleine

And neuer shal tyl they haue againe

The pope to be there lord

Powel

305

The deuil of hel be thy gyde

Thou dust euer braule and chyde

Against my sorte and dust not byde

One word lesse or more

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Thou saist thou comest to haue rest

310

Thou shalt be the deuels geste

And herto I wyll do my best

Thou mayst be sure therfore.

Finis.

Imprynted At London, at the signe of the Hyll, at the west dore of Paules. By Wyllyam_Hill. And there to be sold