John Bon and Mast Person

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¶Iohn_Bon and Mast person

A_lasse poore fooles, so sore ye be lade

No maruel it is, thoughe your shoulders ake

For ye beare a great God, which ye yourselfes made

Make of it what ye wyl, it is a wafar-cake

And betwen two Irons printed it is and bake

And loke where Idolatrye is, Christe wyl not be there

Wherfore ley downe your burden, an Idole ye do beare

Alasse poore Fooles.

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The Parson

WHat Iohn_Bon good morowe to the

Iohn_Bon.

Nowe good morowe mast parson so mut I thee

Parson

What meanest thou Iohn to be at worke so sone

Iohn

The zoner I begyne the zoner shall I haue done

For I tende to warke no longer then none

Parson.

Mary Iohn for that gods blessinge on thy herte

For surely some ther be wyl go to ploughe an[d] carte and] an 1548

And set not by thys holy, corpus_christi-euen

Iohn

They a[re] the more to blame I swere by saynt Steuen are] aer 1548

But tell me mast parson one thinge and you can

What saynt is copsi_cursty a man or a woman?

Parson

Why Iohn knoweste not that? I tel the it was a man,

It is Christe his owne selfe and tomorowe is hys daye

We beare hym in prosession and thereby knowe it ye maye

Iohn

I knowe mast parson? and na by my faye

But methinke it is a mad thinge that ye saye

That it shoulde be a man howe can it come to passe

Because ye maye hym beare with-in so smal a glasse

Parson

Why neybor Iohn and art thou nowe there?

Nowe I maye perceyue ye loue thys newe geare

Iohn

Gods forbod master, I should be of that facion

I question wy your mashippe in waye of cumlication

A playne man ye may se wil speake as cometh to mind

Ye muste holde vs ascused for lowe men be but blynd

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I am an elde felowe of fifty wynter and more

And yet in all my lyfe I knewe not this before

Parson

No dyd, why sayest thou so, vpon thy-selfe thou lyest

Thou haste euer knowen the sacramente to be the body of Christ

Iohn

Ye syr ye say true, all that I know in-dede

And yet as I remember it is not in my crede

But as for cropsy_cursty to be a man or no

I knewe not tyll thys day by the waye my soule shal to

Parson

Why folishe felowe, I tel the it is so

For it was so determined by the churche longe ago

It is both the sacramente and very Christ him-selfe

Iohn

No spleaser mast parson then make ye Christe an elfe

And the maddest-made man that euer body sawe

Parson

What? peace mad-man thou speakeste lyke a dawe

It is not possible hys manhode for to se

Iohn

Why sir ye tell me it is euen verye he

And if it be not his manhode, his godhed it must be

Parson

I tell the none of both, what meaneste thou, art thou mad?

Iohn

No nother mad nor druncke, but to learne I am glade

But to displease your mashippe I woulde be very loth

Ye graunt me here playnly that it is none of boeth

Then is it but a cake, but I pray ye be not wroth.

Parson

Wroth quod ha, by the masse thou makest me swere an othe

I hade leuer wyth a docter of diuinitie to reason

Then wyth a stubble cur that eateth beanes and peason

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Iohn

I crie ye mercye mast person pacience for a season

In all thys cumlicacion is nother felony nor treason

Parson

No by the masse but herest thou, it is playne heresye

Iohn

I am glade it chaunced so, theyr was not witnes by

And if ther had I cared not, for ye spake as yl as I

I speake but as I harde you saye I wot not what ye thought

Ye sayd it was not God nor man and made it worsse then nought

Parson

I ment not so, thou tokeste me wronge

Iohn

A sir ye singe another songe

I dare not reason wyth you longe

I se well nowe ye haue a knacke

To saye a thynge and then go backe

Parson

No Iohn I was but a littyll ouer-sene

But thou mentest not good fayeth I wene

In all thys talke that was vs betwene

Iohn

I? no trowe it shannot so beene

That Iohn_Bon shall an heretike be calde

Then myght he saye him so fowle befalde.

Parson.

But nowe if thou wylt marke me well

From begynninge to endynge I wyl the tell

Of the godly seruice that shalbe tomorowe

That or I haue done no doubte thou wylt sorowe

To here that suche thynges shoulde be fordone

And yet in many places they haue begun

To take a_waye the olde and set vp newe

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Beleue me Iohn thys tale is true

Iohn

Go to mast parson saye on and well to thryue

Ye be the Iolest gemman that euer sawe in my lyue

Parson

We shal firste haue matins, is it not a godly hereynge?

Iohn

Fie? Yes, me-thinke tis a shamefull gay chearynge

For often-times on my prayers, when I take no greate kepe

Ye sing so arantly well, ye make me fal a_slepe

Parson

Then haue we prosession and Christe aboute we beare

Iohn

That is a poysone holy thinge for God him-selfe is ther

Parson

Than comme we in and redy vs dresse

Full solempnely to goo to Messe

Iohn

Is not here a mischeuous thynge?

The Messe is vengaunce holye for all ther sayeinge

Parson

Then saye we Confiteor and miseriatur

Iohn

Ieze Lorde tis abbominable matter

Parson

And then we stande vp to the auter

Iohn

Thys geere is as good as oure ladies sawter

Parson

And so gose fourth wyth the other dele

Tyll we haue rede the Pistell and Gospell

Iohn

That is good mast person I knowe ryght well

Parson

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Is that good? why what sayste thou to the other

Iohn

Mary horrible good I saye none other

Parson

So is all the messe I dare auow this

As good in euery poynte as Pistell or Gospel is

Iohn

The fowle euyll it is, whoe woulde thynke so muche

100

In fayeth I euer thought that it had bene no suche

Parson

Then haue we the canon that is holyest

Iohn

A spightfull gay thynge of all that euer I wyst

Person

Then haue we the memento euen before the sacringe

Iohn

Ye are morenly well learned I se by your recknynge

105

That ye wyll not forget suche an eluyshe thynge

Parson

And after that we consecrate very God and man

And turne the breade to fleshe wyth fyue wordes we can

Iohn

The deuell ye do I trowe. Ther is pestilence busines

Ye are much bounde to god, for suche a spittell holines

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A galows-gay gifte wyth fyue wordes alone

To make boeth God and man and yet we se none

Ye talke so vnreasonably well, it maketh my herte yerne

As elde a felow as yche am I se well I maye learne

Parson

Yea Iohn and then wyth wordes holy and good

115

Euen by and by we tourne the wyne to bloude

Iohn

Lo wyll ye se lo? who woulde haue thought it

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That ye could so sone, from wine to bloud ha brought it

And yet except your mouth, be better tasted than myne

I cannot fele it other but that it shoulde be wyne

120

And yet I wote nere a cause ther maye be whye

Perchaunce ye ha dronke bloude ofter then euer dyd I

Parson

Truely Iohn it is bloud though it be wine in taste

As soone as the worde is spoke the wyne is gone and past

Iohn

A sessions on it for me my wyttes are me benumme

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For I can not study where the wyne shoulde become

Parson

Study quod ha, beware and let suche matter go

To meddle muche wyth thys may brynge ye sone to wo

Iohn

Yea but mast parson thynk ye it were ryght

That if I desired you to make my blake oxe whight

130

And you saye it is done, and styl is blacke in syght

Ye myght me deme a foole for to beleue so lyght

Parson

I maruell muche ye wyll reason so farre

I feare if ye vse it, it wyll ye mar

Iohn

No no sir I truste of that I wylbe ware

135

I praye you wyth your matter agayne fourth to fare

Parson

And then we go forth and Christes body receyue

Euyn the very same that mary dyd conceyue

Iohn

The deuill it is, ye haue a greate grace

To eate God and man in so short a space

Parson

140

And so we make an ende as it lieth in an order,

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But now the blessed me[ss]eletters broken is hated in euery border

And railed on and reuiled, with wordes most blasphemous

But I trust it wylbe better with the help of Catechismus

For thoughe it came forth but euen that other day

145

Yet hath it tourned many to ther olde waye

And where they hated messe and had it in disdayne

There haue they messe and matins in latyne tonge againe

Ye euen in London selfe (Iohn) I tel the troeth

They be ful glade and mery to here of thys God knoweth

Iohn

150

By my trueth mast parson I lyke full wel your talke

But masse me no more messinges. The right way wil I walke

For thoughe I haue no learning yet I know chese from chalke

And yche can perceiue your iuggling as crafty as ye walke

But leue your deuilish masse and the communion to you take

155

And then will Christ be with you euen for his promisse sake

Parson

Why art thou suche a one and kept it so closse

Wel al is not golde that hath a fayre glosse

But farewel Iohn_Bon god bringe the in better mind

Iohn

I thanke you sir for that you seme verie kynde

160

But praye not so for me for I am well Inoughe

Whistill boy, driue furth God spede vs and the plough

Ha browne done, forth that horson crabbe

Ree comomyne, garlde, wyth haight blake ha[b] hab] ha 1548

Haue a_gayne bald before, hayght ree who,

165

Cherly boy cum of that whomwarde we maye goo

FINIS.

Imprinted at London by John_Daye, and Willyam_Seres, dwellinge in Sepulchres_Parishe at the signe of the resurrection a littel aboue Holbourne_conduite.

Cum gratia et priuilegio ad imprimendum solum.