A Plaster for a Galled Horse

Ramsey, John

TextBaseEarlyTudorEnglish
JRPGH20662
2008
STC 20662
Ringler 20662 and TP 1756; also TP 1066 ("Loke what here in ..." [titlepage verse]). Signature nos. wanting. Order no. 2824; UMI microfilm reel 140.

A plaister for a galled horse
London: Thomas Raynalde,1548 [STC].



Composition Date: 1548 [STC].







stampe and st[a]re: for the phrase 'stamp and stare', see OED s.v. stamp v, 2cstacke: =stuck, 'pierced'
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A Plaister for a galled Horse.

Loke what here-in shalbe redde
Wynse at nothyng, excepte ye be gylty
For of vsurped power we be not a_dradde.
But God to be knowen, before preceptes fylthy
5 We speake not agaynst Godes holy mystery
But agaynst such, as loue neyther God nor theyr kynge
Beware therfore ye knowe not your desteny
Loke better to the Scripture, the word euerlastinge

Prouerb .xxvi.
Unto the horse belongeth a whippe To the Asse a Brydle / & a rodde to the fooles backe.

Yf this playster be to colde
Ye shall haue an-other be bolde
Th'entent is to cure and edyfy
So it is sayd, By Ihon_Ramsy

M.D.XLVIII.
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The plajster.

THe horse that is galled wyll wynse and kycke
If any do enterprise, to come such a_nere
He thinketh ye go about to touche the quicke
That rather he wold runne thorow water and fire
5 Euen the lyke our massemakers, begynne to stere stere: =stir
If any in their maungines, fyndeth lacke maungines: =manginess
Then lyke a galled horse they stampe and st[a]re stare] stere 1548stampe and st[a]re: for the phrase 'stamp and stare', see OED s.v. stamp v, 2c

But guppe ye godmakers, beware your galled backe.

Guppe syr Ihon and guppe Bishoppe also
10 Guppe al other, that holde with the same
Uery maungy ye are, and winse to and fro
Doubte not but at lengthe it wyll turne you to shame
For many of you commaunde in your ow[n]e name
Up with masse (we charge you let not that slacke
15 Or els in the Castell of N. we wyll you tame
But Guppe ye Godmakers, bewar[e] your galled backe beware] bewary 1548

What other are you, but maungy in-dede
To prefere the abhominacion most vyle in Goddes sighte
Loke ye blynde oweles, in what Gospell do ye rede
20 That such myrlymuse, doth please God a_right myrlymuse ='nonsense'? This word is not recorded in OED or MED.
On thys syde, & that syde, as one sought hys way by nighte
Straining a knaues armes, as though he stod on a racke knaues] knaues, 1548
With mockes and mowes, and like a foole dyght
But guppe ye Godmakers, beware youre galled backe

25 Thinke you Christen fayth to you is obedient
To folow such Mametry, made by a pilled squier
No no you maye well holde your-selues content
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We haue neyther fayth, in Monke Priest nor Frier.
Ye are worthy to be hanged, and so payde for youre hiere
30 That wyll compell, the trew subiectes to bear your packe
It semeth by your dedes, that treason ye do conspire
But guppe ye Godmakers, be_ware your galled backe:

Wher is your obedience, and wher is your commission?
So tyranly so heritikely, to geue any such commaundemente tyranly: =tyranlie, a variant of tyrantly, 'tyrannically'
35 To folow the pope, with hys superstytion
Yet in one knotte, to thys ye do consente
Ye rore and crie, as men with-oute Iudgement
Up with the masse or eles al, goeth to wracke
But remembre goddes vengaunce is ready bent
40 And guppe ye Godmakers, beware your galled backe.

Ye say ye are an insurrection
But who shal it make. that wolde we knowe?
Euen youre owne selues / with youre pestilent Infection
To supresse goddes veritie, and bringe it lowe,
45 It is tyme to loke to you, for the sede that you do sowe
Whych ye shall repe, and lay it on your owne stacke,
We set not a fart by your masse made with mocke & mowe
But guppe ye Godmakers, beware youre galled backe

Loke in holy scripture, learne there your dewtye
50 Ye blynde guides / that stomble at a strawe
There shall ye fynde, that the Lorde God onely,
Shalte thou serue, and folowe his holy law
But thou thinkeste, that god is made of euery Iackedawe
As in his handes thou must heare his bones cracke
55 And thynkest thy-selfe safe. when he is downe in thy maw
But Guppe ye Godmakers, beware your galled backe

Your masse that ye make your god serueth for many a thinge
For rayne for drowthe, for pestilence and shepe
For pygges for pylgrimes, for shippes that be saylynge
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60 For corne for the cough, and for those that can not slepe corne ='pills, granules'?
And what for thys yf your god ye do not well kepe
He will stynke in his house, ye can not a_byde the smacke
Yet to that false god, ye knele and crepe
But guppe ye godmakers beware your galled backe. guppe] guuppe 1548

65 You have chaplens of trust, that serue for the nones
Gredy of stommacke hasty in digestion
That can eate vp a whole body both flesh bloud & bones
And that same daye be dronke and aske no question
A dronken chaplen a dronken god, surely a holy profession
70 Cursed be such for ther dedes are blacke
Our God is in heauen, whych dyed for our redemption
But puppe ye godmakers beware your galled backe: puppe: an interjection; see OED s.v. pup int.

In thre partes your God must be deuyded
For the bodyes aboue, the bodyes beneth, & those that be lyuinge
75 That Pope was wyse that thus had contryued
God for God, God for the dyuell, God for all yll-doynge
Euery pi[e]ce was God, thys is your teichinge piece] pice 1548
So that the least piece, be it neuer so lytle a snacke
Is god of god made, that had a begynnyng
80 But guppe ye godmakers. beware your galled backe

Ye may do what ye lyste with thinges of youre owne
Ye may do what ye can, where ye be not set by.
Your cruell tormentes be sone ouer-blowen,
And the rekeninge ye muste make of all your Iniurie
85 Men that accompte them-selues wyse shuld circumspectly
Do all thinges to gods honor, & not his scripture hacke
As men_de_lekes, their Imagination to satysfy men_de_lekes: =*mendilykes, 'turban-wearers, infidels'? The word is not recorded in MED or OED, but see OED s.v. mandil n, 'turban' (1st attested 1662)
But guppe ye godmakers beware your galled backe

We wolde talke with you, but your malice is to greate
90 Your dedes do declare, ye are the Popes Pygges
Yet we wil ax one question but be in no more heate
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And let vs heare what ye sucked out of the Popes biggis biggis: =bigs, 'teats'
Do men on the brembles gather any figges
Do your horemasters prestes. by their ministracion so compacke
95 To alure Christ out of heauen, as men do byrdes to twigges twigges] twingges 1548
No no, ye Godmakers / beware your galled backe

Christ sitteth in heauen holy scripture saith so,
Christ shall come agayne, euen the same body that wente hence
Christ said it was expedient that he shuld go
100 For his fleshly body dyd no longer profyt by presence
The kysse that Iudas had toke not a_waye hys offence
But still in desperacion. his conscience stacke conscience] consecience 1548stacke: =stuck, 'pierced'

Moche lesse in your God, that hath no intelligence
But guppe ye Godmakers, beware your galled backe.

105 Ye pretende a great holynes, but not in right vse
Christes institution is cleane out of memory
He brake the bread, without vayne excuse
And sayde it was hys body that [ne]des shulde dye nedes] endes 1548
Now it was not the bread: that was crucifyed at Caluarye
110 But the body whych is in heauen thys scripture ye can not lacke
And as the bread was broken euen so was his body
But Gup ye God-makers. beware your galled backe.

But as you do vse it, it is neither here nor there
But a faynde mommer[y], of Antichristes deuyse mommer[y]: the reading is illegible in the copytext
115 And as Baruch sayth no God he is, we nede not to feare
For when he is downe, he can no more ryse
Yet your Pristes, handell him so fynely and nyce
Wrappe him in clowtes, with many a popyshe knacke
I wolde all such pristes, [might] swarme ful of lyce might] mighty 1548
120 But guppe ye Godmakers, beware your galled backe:

Lay forth for your-selfe, the best that ye can
Commaunde what ye lyst, of your owne deuyse
We knowe, ye shal not be obayed of neuer an honest man
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But of your owne couenauntes, that loueth the popes guyse
125 Yet beware least your heades knowe the pryce
For ye lyke trayters, against our kyng fynde lacke
In suppressing the Pope, with all his marchaundyce
But guppe ye godmakers beware your galle[d] backe galled] galle 1548

Marke the gesture, who that lyst
130 First a shorne shauelynge, clad in a clowt
Bearinge the name of an honest priest
And yet in no place a starker lowte
A whore-monger a dronkard, ye mayken hym be s[t]owte stowte] snowte 1548
At the Alehouses he studieth, tyll hys witte he doth lacke
135 Such are your minysters, to bringe thys matter about
But guppe ye godmakers. beware you[r] galled backe your] youe 1548

Then wraped in a knaues skynne, as holy as my horse
Before the aulter, in great contemplacion
Confessinge the synnes of his lubbrysh Corse
140 To god and all saynctes, he counteth hys abhomination
Then home to the aulter, with great saintification
With crosses, and blesses, with his boy lytle Iacke
Thus forth goeth syr Ihon with all his preparation
But puppe ye godmakers beware your galled backe:

145 Then gloria in excelsis for ioye dothe he synge
More for his fat lyuinge, then for deuocion
And many there be that remember another thinge
Which syng not wyth mery hart for lacke of promocion
Thus some be mery, some be sory according to their porcion
150 Then forth cometh Colettes, bounde vp in a packe Colettes: =collects
Of this sainct and that sainct, for sickenes, and extorcion
But guppe ye godmakers beware your galled backe. guppe] guuppe 1548

The epistell and gospell they haue put in
To colour their falsehed, vnder holy pretence
155 And al in latyn, to cloke their synne. synne] synnne 1548
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This daylie, is sene by common experience
Now marke, for here cometh great reuerence,
A slappe for a flye, whiche is a prety knacke
That must ye kysse, and gyue them pence
160 But guppe ye godmakers beware your galled backe.

Than must he wash, he hath handled some whores tayle
With tourne about Iacke / and shew some sporte
For many ar popish knaues, of the shauen sorte
More me[t]er he were for the whippe and flayle, me[t]er: the copytext reading is illegible
165 Then to put the dead soules in good comfort
Then standeth he moming lyke a calfe in a sacke
Many tymes hys whore, wyll [he] ther resorte he] the 1548
But guppe ye godmakers beware your galled backe

Then make they god wyth wordes ynowe
170 And hange hym vp betwene theues twayne
Then ye masmongers, loke that ye bowe
For there is your god, made by a knaue in graine in graine ='dyed-in-the-wool'
And he prayeth vnto him for all syckenes and payne
And at length doth eate hym, bothe shoulder leg & racke
175 And the next daye can make an-other agayne
But guppe ye godmakers, beware your galled backe

Thus ye are begyled with suche foxes play
And your hartes are so set that the truth ye do not see
Yet remember god and our kynge what they do say
180 That from Idolatry wolde haue you to flee,
Yf ye wyll not then be blynde styll for me:
The lord defend our noble king, that of you he haue no lacke
For you ar hard to be trusted what-soeuer ye be
Therfore ye ar warned, beware your galled backe
¶Imprinted at London in Sainct_Andrewes Parysh in the_wardrop By Thomas_Raynalde